Key Topics:

• Amy’s transition from HR manager to insurance agency owner, and the founding of Mosaic Insurance Alliance.
• The importance of transitioning from an agent role to focusing on business development.
• Challenges in hiring and team management within the insurance industry.
• Strategies for maintaining a strong, motivated team in a challenging market.
• The impact of the current market on insurance agencies and the necessity for adaptation.
• The role of transparency and communication in managing an agency and its team.
• The significance of listening to team members and clients for effective agency management.
• Adapting to technological changes and leveraging them for better agency operations.
• Strategies for future-proofing the agency and team amidst market uncertainties.

Connect with:

• LinkedIn: Amy Drewel 
• LinkedIn: Teresa Kitchens

Visit Websites:

• Mosaic Insurance Alliance
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Elizabeth discusses the flexibility and options available in running an independent agency and how she created GravityCerts from scratch, developing the necessary tools and systems for success. (3:48)
• Elizabeth shares the challenges GravityCerts faced as a new agency as it experienced rapid growth and struggled to keep up with the influx of new business. (8:35)
• Elizabeth emphasizes the importance of prioritizing quality service and customer loyalty over rapid growth in their insurance agency. (16:54)
• Elizabeth mentions that the Client Center is an online client service portal that provides 24/7 access to services and information, currently integrated with NowCerts and Agency Zoom. (21:26)
• Elizabeth discusses the need for agencies to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and allow clients to access services online, even outside of traditional business hours. (31:36)
• Elizabeth mentions that the goal of GravityCerts is to streamline different systems and platforms and to be the central hub that connects various tools and eliminates duplicate data entry, ultimately improving efficiency in the industry. (36:15)
• Elizabeth believes that the use of technology does not diminish the human touch but rather strengthens the relationship by freeing up time for more meaningful interactions. (40:49)

Key Quotes:

• “We try to be pretty flexible, of course. I want everyone to have all the bells and whistles, and I want them to have the best of everything.” - Elizabeth Culley
• “There's no reason for us to have to continue to be putting the same information in over and over again, there has to be a way to streamline that. And so, that's really what we're going to try to work on 100% with the different tools that we have.” - Elizabeth Culley

Resources Mentioned:

• Elizabeth Culley Facebook
• GravityCerts
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Susan shares her early involvement in insurance, spending time at age 6 in her father's agency and getting her license at 18 to work part-time. (2:32)
• Susan mentions that the availability of online groups and communities allows us to easily access information and get quick responses to our questions, making us fortunate in the digital age. (9:47)
• Susan explains that the ability to be a leader is partly innate and cannot be taught, so leaders need to protect their team and establish processes to filter out those who may not be a good fit for the organization's health and success. (14:46)
• Susan discusses the importance of self-care and maintaining a positive mindset to avoid bringing others down. (18:06)
• Susan shares that she finds time blocking helpful for managing multiple tasks and interruptions in a busy work environment. (22:44)
• Susan discusses the importance of finding balance and complementary skill sets, even if you only have one other person on your team. (26:14)
• Susan explains the importance of attending conferences, networking, and being open to new ideas and strategies to grow and improve professionally. (32:17)
• Susan mentions that the key to success is being authentic, without trying to be someone you're not. (39:15)
• Susan encourages women to reach out and connect with others in their industry, as they will likely find support and inclusivity. (42:41)

Key Quotes:

• “As leaders, we can try to protect our team and help as much as possible. But I don't think that's something that you can teach.” - Susan Wathen Johnston
• “That’s what I like too about going to conferences, meeting new people, getting on the Facebook groups is getting other ideas hearing what works for other people, and trying something that you may not have ever even thought of.” - Susan Wathen Johnston
• “If anyone's struggling in our industry through this time, they need to just reach out.” - Susan Wathen Johnston

Resources Mentioned:

• Susan Wathen Johnston LinkedIn
• Susan Wathen Johnston Facebook
• Countryside Insurance Agency, INC
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Austin and Teresa talk about how automation can help the agency of the future.

Episode Highlights:

• Austin shares his insurance background and how he transitioned to automation technology. (1:37)
• Austin mentions that Lava Automation has successfully assisted numerous agencies in getting their CRM up and running in just a few months, compared to the longer timeframe it used to take in the past. (4:12)  
• Austin discusses the importance of CRM tools for agency owners in managing lead data and staying accountable. (7:26) 
• Austin explains that the CRM automation and features save approximately 2.3 weeks of monthly work per person, allowing for more follow-ups and time savings. (14:18)
• Austin mentions that creating regular accountability meetings and maintaining clean data in business software is crucial for success. (20:09)
• Austin discusses the different attitudes towards automation between producers and CSRs in the insurance industry. (25:54)
• Austin suggests that organizations should focus on implementing and maximizing the benefits of new technology before jumping to embrace the next big thing. (28:36)

Key Quotes:

• “If you're going to compete with our quality of build standard that you didn’t have to put in the years that we have doing this. This is all we do.” - Austin Moorhead
• “Anyone who does outreach with a CRM gets an additional 2.3 weeks worth of work done.” - Austin Moorhead

Resources Mentioned:

• Austin Moorhead LinkedIn
• Lava Automation
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Resources Mentioned:

• Megan Thomas LinkedIn
• Social Coverage Collective
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights: 

• Kelly mentions she comes from a hospitality background and considers herself to be more of a creative thinker than a technical thinker. (04:30)
• Kelly emphasizes that they want to have control over who they associate with, not just within their agency but also with the clients they serve. (10:37)
• Kelly believes that when you're happy and feeling fulfilled by your day, you owe it to your community and that you're incredibly privileged to serve the people you do. (12:10)
• Kelly shares that metrics are hard and that's something they're working on currently to help them fill out their analytics a little more. (16:53)
• As leaders of their organization, Kelly mentions that their role is to help people achieve their goals. (17:52)
• Kelly explains that although many people criticize the millennial generation, they have embraced it. (21:01)
• Kelly thinks that symbiotic relationships are the only way for longterm success to work. You're not just looking for a job, but a place to call home. (26:04)
• Kelly mentions that they value work ethic, and if you don't share that mindset and take pride in yourself, you won't be successful on their team. (27:11)
• Kelly shares the importance of addressing trust. (32:04)

Key Quotes:

• "We always remind ourselves, we are very fortunate to serve the people we do, and that they have entrusted at. And we try to continually earn that every day." - Kelly Mora
• "It's a culture of care that our agency is a family and you can't expect the value to be given to your agency by your members if you don't first value them." - Kelly Mora
• "In the last five years, we recognized we had a very youthful team. And it was by design. You know, that's where some real great energy comes from. A lot of people complain about the millennials set, but we embraced it." - Kelly Mora

Resources Mentioned:

• Kelly Mora LinkedIn
• Heritage Insurance Agency
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Mernice shares her humble beginnings and how she got to where she is today. (2:06)
• Mernice shares her opinion on the difference between men and women in the industry. (15:54)
• Mernice talks about her book What I Wish I Knew on The Other Side of Agency Ownership. (18:49)
• Mernice shares her insights about being able to get to a point of equality in ourselves. (24:11)
• Mernice shares what women can do to build up confidence. (27:24)
• Merince shares her Facebook community page called Insurance Women Rock where people can connect. (32:19)
• Mernice talks about the leadership organization she has created, the National Association for Advancement of Women In Insurance. (37:38)

Key Quotes:

• “I believe that you can always change, you can grow and evolve, and you can come back stronger and bigger and better, no matter how low you get.” - Mernice Oliver
• “I believe the linchpin of change that happens for women is when we identify our purpose.” - Mernice Oliver
• “I'm going to create a company that really fills that gap for women. Because I'm not just going to help you with a business, you're more than your numbers.” - Mernice Oliver

Resources Mentioned:

• Mernice Oliver LinkedIn
• Mernice Oliver International
• National Association for Advancement of Women In Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Elyse shares that her passion for her business stems from a challenge she faced early on in her career (1:41)
• Elyse mentions that the Big Three for women to achieve superhuman selling results are: reprogramming their subconscious mind, shifting their relationship with money, and aligning their masculine and feminine energy. (8:00)
• Elyse explains that the mind-body connection is powerful in restoring our sense of worthiness and achieving our goals, as we can use our emotions as cues to identify limiting beliefs and rewrite our programming for success. (13:11) 
• Elyse discusses the impact of limiting beliefs on men and women, and how shifting mindset can lead to greater success and fulfillment. (20:52)
• Elyse shares the importance of healing and changing subconscious beliefs to attract positive experiences and adopt an abundance mindset in sales. (28:19)
• Elyse discusses her coaching program for entrepreneurs and sales professionals, offering group coaching and a high-level mastermind for women, focusing on overcoming obstacles and implementing strategies for success without burnout. (35:13)
• Elyse believes money is seen as a tool for personal expansion and expression, and the goal should not be solely focused on accumulating wealth, but rather on using money to achieve one's vision and help others. (43:39)

Key Quotes:

• “The biggest, most transformational moments in your life can come when you realize that, just because you're thinking a thought, it doesn't mean it's true.” - Elyse Archer
• “Our specialty and our focus is helping driven high achieving entrepreneurs and sales professionals who want to expand six or seven figures. But do it without burnout, hustle, exhaustion, overwhelm, helping them dramatically increase their results in a very different way.” - Elyse Archer

Resources Mentioned:

• Elyse Archer LinkedIn
• She Sells
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Carrie Cheeks is a Workers Comp expert with Jencap and she discusses how she got into the industry and how she is connecting with agents to build a better workers comp industry.

Episode Highlights:

• Carrie mentions that she initially had no interest in the insurance industry but was convinced by her Uncle to try it, and after a few years, she realized that it was more than she expected. (1:22)
• Carrie discusses her journey of leveling up in the industry, transitioning from copy-and-paste work to sales, with a focus on Workers' Compensation. (8:49)
• Carrie shares her upcoming role as a Corporate Relationship Manager, where she will be working with carriers, agency partnership groups, and aggregators to create mutually beneficial relationships and serve them effectively. (15:51)
• Carrie believes that the Workers' Comp market is currently chaotic and confusing, with carriers unsure of how to act in the face of low prices and rising costs, leading to a need for constant learning and staying informed. (20:01)
• Carrie discusses the importance of simplifying communication with agents by using abbreviations and clear instructions to expedite the process and ensure that agents understand what is needed. (28:09)
• Carrie advises agents in Workers’ Comp to build a community of knowledgeable individuals by reaching out to people online who are posting about the topic, asking for information and advice on how to excel in it, and discussing opportunities for education and growth. (31:38)

Key Quotes:

• “It's really my management that has helped me elevate myself because they are so open to new ideas and new places. And I'm not afraid to ask either. I've never been afraid to ask for anything in my life. And I don't think I'll start being afraid to ask anytime soon.” - Carrie Cheeks 
• “It's nice to see agents elevating their game, because then it helps us elevate our game to our carriers, it helps the whole entire line of the process work…knowledge is power, and you're going to be more successful if you have more knowledge.” - Carrie Cheeks
• “Education is obviously so important. But also building a community around you that is like-minded helps a lot too.” - Carrie Cheeks

Resources Mentioned:

• Carrie Cheeks LinkedIn
• Jencap
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Ashley and Teresa have a follow up on how she has built her agency through CoVid, having twins, and navigating a hard market.

Episode Highlights:

• Ashley mentions that after working in the captive world for 12 years, she decided to explore other opportunities and started First Choice Insurance, and has successfully been running it for almost four and a half years. (2:58)
• Ashley shares the challenges she faced in starting a family while growing a business. (5:01)
• Ashley discusses the importance of treating employees well and hiring the right people for key roles in order to achieve growth and success in an agency. (12:44)
• Ashley shares her experience with a local agency specializing in commercial insurance, and the push and pull dynamics between her and the agency owner regarding taking on different types of clients and the possibility of merging. (18:04)
• Ashley explains the importance of surrounding oneself with a supportive team and seeking continuous learning opportunities in the insurance industry. (26:52)
• Ashley mentions that going independent has its own struggles, but it offers more freedom and flexibility. (30:57)
• Ashley shares that she values having conversations with others and loves to connect with people for educational purposes and support, particularly with moms of toddlers. (39:01)

Key Quotes:

• “If you don't have the right people around you and the right team with you, growth doesn't matter. So I honestly give everything to them. And they've gotten me through everything that I've needed. ” - Ashley Mastowski
• “When I train my new employees, I tell them, don't be scared to do that. Because I'd rather have you say, you know what, I'm new or, you know what, I'm actually not sure what that answer is. Let me find that out.” - Ashley Mastowski
• “I love talking to people and I love furthering my education that way versus actually going back to school.” - Ashley Mastowski

Resources Mentioned:

• Ashley Mastowski LinkedIn
• First Choice Insurance Group
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

In this throwback episode of The Power Women in Insurance, Ashley shares her insurance journey from an office manager in a captive insurance agency to owning an independent agency. She explains how she navigated the industry by researching and learning from others in her agency’s niche.

Listen in to learn how to perfect the art of vulnerability and adaptability to achieve success in your insurance agency.

“A big piece of my success is just being vulnerable to learning and growing and opening up to other people.”- Ashley [24:02]

Top Takeaways:

• How to move past the research phase to the execution phase when starting a business
• How to find the right systems and programs to utilize for an independent agency by learning from others in the same niche as you
• How to learn from your mistakes when running a business 
• Learn to be open to vulnerability and adaptability to be successful. 

Key Moments:

• [1:52] Ashley shares how she went from a 12-year office manager career for an insurance agency and jumped headfirst into agency ownership.
• [6:44] She explains how she navigated being an agency owner versus when she was employed.
• [11:36] The pro and cons of owning an independent agency when it comes to operating systems and programs. 
• [17:46] How she found what works for her by asking questions and educating herself. 
• [23:29] Ashley explains how she has grown and succeeded by educating her clients whatever she learns.
• [27:58] The lesson of vulnerability and adaptability to change that Ashley would give her younger self.
• [29:15] How she’s inspired by her ability to build a successful business in a short period of time. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ashley Mastowski LinkedIn
• First Choice Insurance Group
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions that having a business coach is beneficial for those who want to improve their business, achieve their goals, and have a better work-life balance. (1:28)
• Teresa discusses the first step in determining if you need a business coach is to identify areas where you need growth, inspiration, or extra energy, and then write down 20 areas for improvement in your business or career. (3:19)
• Teresa explains why it's crucial to find coaches who are industry-specific to effectively help with specific tasks. (6:49)
• Teresa mentions that leadership coaches and culture coaches can help teams level up their communication and achieve objectives, while sales coaches can assist in improving sales processes and asking better questions. (12:21)
• Teresa discusses the foundational points to determine what we truly want and how to improve our lives. (17:48)
• Teresa believes that it's important to acknowledge and appreciate the knowledge and skills gained from previous coaches, as they contribute to personal growth and self-confidence. (19:54)
• Teresa shares that joining a mastermind group can provide support, brainstorming, and guidance for career advancement, with different groups offering various formats and focuses to match individual needs and goals. (22:43)
• Teresa emphasizes the importance of having a coach in life, acknowledging that nobody is perfect and there is always room for growth. (28:38)

Key Quotes:

• “The first step to being able to decide if you need a business coach is to identify some of those areas that you need to grow in.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “Some people get what they need from that coach, and then they have to move on to the next coach. But we need to honor the steps that that previous coach gave us. The knowledge, the skills that that previous coach gave us.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “A really good coach understands you have your own goals, you have your own agenda, you have your own culture of who you are, and what you bring to the table. And a really good coach is going to help you to be a better person through that.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions the insurance conference she attended recently. (2:20)
• Teresa shares her challenge for the listeners. (6:32)
• Teresa explains what “interrupting politely” means. (9:14)
• Teresa shares what she does after picking up her kids from school. (10:36)
• Teresa mentions what she’s trying to do more with her team. (11:52)
• Teresa shares why utilizing the knowledge of having all things is revolutionary. (13:07)
• Teresa explains the benefits of time blocking. (14:36)
• Teresa shares the ‘why’ in her life. (23:24)

Key Quotes:

• “Having it all is kind of like multitasking. They say that there's no such thing as multitasking because really all you do is you switch your attention from one thing to another thing... And, then we constantly rotate our attention.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “I think sometimes whenever we get into these conversations with our families, that they feel like we're not spending enough time with them, or we're too distracted... That it's because they don't feel seen, they don't feel heard, they feel like they're second-rate citizens. And, I don't want my family to feel that way... and I would never want them to feel that way.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “When I don't listen, I am a lot. When I overpower people, I'm a lot. But that energy that I have, that voice, and the sense of discernment that I do have is something that people are attracted to. And with that, that makes me a great coach. That makes me a great mentor. That puts me in a space where I can work with a lot of people, and I love to do that.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Sterling Insurance Group
• Contact Teresa Kitchens

Episode Highlights:

• Kathryn shares that got into the insurance industry to prevent others from experiencing the financial burden she faced when her father passed away without a proper life insurance policy, and now finds fulfillment in helping people with Medicare, health insurance, retirements, and annuities. (1:23)
• Kathryn mentions that she found her tribe within Women of Insurance, which helped her transition from a toxic work environment to building her own successful business through natural connections, lazy prospecting, and community outreach. (6:38)
• Kathryn mentions that she receives a lot of gratitude and appreciation for organizing conferences, training, and providing resources, with many women unaware of the available options and benefits. (18:54)
• Kathryn believes that learning from others is essential for personal growth and success, as no one has all the answers. (23:33)

Key Quotes:

• “To me, Women of Insurance is a supportive, empowering, safe space for women to come together and connect without the drama and negativity or pressure.” - Kathryn Arnold
• “Self-growth is something that you're going to have to constantly have. Because the industry is ever-changing, things are constantly changing, and you're gonna have to constantly self-grow.” - Kathryn Arnold
• “The insurance industry is super competitive. It doesn't have to be so competitive. I don't have to compete with other people, there is enough of it to go around.” - Kathryn Arnold

Resources Mentioned:

• Reach out: Kathryn Arnold
• Kathryn Arnold Facebook
• SLA Legacy
• Women of Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Niki started her agency in 2019 and was a guest in 2020. Today, we followed up with her progress and talked about what has helped her build her agency most successfully.

Episode Highlights:

• Niki shares that she opened her own agency in 2019, and faced challenges in the first year, including the impact of COVID-19, but ultimately learned valuable lessons and adopted new technologies and strategies that put them ahead in the market. (2:04)
• Niki discusses the importance of seeking advice and guidance from trusted mentors and industry experts before making decisions or implementing new tools in order to avoid unnecessary expenses and ensure success. (7:43)
• Niki mentions that she is not a big gift person and has struggled with showing appreciation to her team, but has made efforts to improve by valuing their input and being transparent about goals and the bigger picture. (16:27)
• Niki explains that implementing automation and streamlined processes has allowed for better collaboration and efficiency within the team, making it easier to onboard new staff and ensuring continuity in case of absences or emergencies. (24:11) 
• Niki shares that she learned that planning for the next five years is setting oneself up for failure due to unpredictable events, so she focuses on making realistic plans for one year at a time and taking advantage of opportunities in the current market. (29:34)
• Niki advises beginners in the market to seek out mentors who have already achieved what they want to do, get their advice and feedback, and don't try to figure it all out on their own. (40:03)

Key Quotes:

• “This may be surprising to some people but it's not actually technology or a tool. It was a mentor that changed the game for me.” - Niki Henley
• “Get with mentors for people that you know, have already done it, seek them out, they're out there.” - Niki Henley

Resources Mentioned:

• Niki Henley LinkedIn
• Extra Mile Insurance Solutions.
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Kelly Donahue-Piro and Teresa chat about how to lead a strong team into next generation of independent agencies

Episode Highlights:

• Kelly explains that account managers often feel overwhelmed by their work and the demands of their roles. However, it is crucial to hold them accountable and focus on their potential. (3:13)
• Kelly mentions that agencies should focus on sharing metrics with their team, providing tools and resources, and encouraging them to prioritize high-value clients during a hard market. (17:02)
• Kelly discusses the importance of permission and rewiring behaviors to build trust in agency-client relationships, and the need for clear communication, proactive outreach, and a focus on building trust during challenging times. (21:30)
• Kelly explains that effective leadership communication and the power leaders have in guiding their teams through change and difficult situations is important. (26:50)
• Kelly discusses the challenges of the current market and the need for agents to adapt and communicate their value, while also acknowledging the potential for carriers to go insolvent and the frustration of customers. (30:55)
• Kelly mentions that the insurance industry is facing challenges due to unpredictable weather events, aging agencies, and a shift towards online formats, but leaders can adapt by focusing on sales skills, controlling the message, and supporting their team. (37:10)
• Kelly explains that attitude matters for leaders, as it sets the tone for the team's morale and productivity. (42:01)

Key Quotes:

• “The reality is, I'm optimistic that in this market, the best agents will be created of all time. And we will learn how to have these difficult conversations, maybe kicking and screaming, but we will learn our tools, we will also learn how to communicate our true value.” - Kelly Donahue-Piro
• “Your attitude is contagious. As a leader, they are watching you. When you come in bummed out, you've given them permission to do the same and instead, you need to be giving high fives.” - Kelly Donahue-Piro
• “Our goal is just to give people the tools that they need, whether that's working directly with the coach, or whether it's working directly online, or just going to a website and getting it for free.” - Kelly Donahue-Piro

Resources Mentioned:

• Kelly Donahue-Piro LinkedIn
• Agency Performance Partners
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Kali mentions that the most important thing to her about working in insurance is that you can still take care of your family and set your own hours. (4:06)
• Kali shares that the DeWitt Insurance Group aims to educate new clients through a welcome campaign, guiding them through potential claims and repercussions. (12:11)
• Kali mentions how automation has changed their agency for the better. (20:12)
• Kali discusses how everyone in the agency has adapted to and embraced technology. (31:40)
• Kali shares that a video proposal helped her sell their largest commercial account. (35:24)
• Kali mentions that Lava Automation has significantly improved the wording of templates, making it easier for users to understand and respond to messages. (40:15)

Key Quotes:

• “The one thing that I've really valued in our industry is that you can still take care of family, you can work your own hours, but the family is always going to come first.” - Kali DeWitt Rodgers
• “We were certainly trying to get as many touchpoints as possible. So when someone comes to the agency, they're a new client, they're getting in touch points all through a welcome campaign, and it's educating them.” - Kali DeWitt Rodgers
• “The one thing that we implemented that has been a total game changer is automation.” - Kali DeWitt Rodgers

Resources Mentioned:

• Kali DeWitt Rodgers LinkedIn
• DeWitt Insurance Group
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions that leaders should explore various options to overcome challenges and improve their team performance. (3:16)
• Teresa explains that burnout is a deeper form of stress and that engaging in activities like volunteering and giving back to the community can help reset our souls and ignite a passion for meaningful community activities. (6:38)
• Teresa discusses the importance of identifying and standardizing priorities within the team's work process to prevent burnout and improve productivity. (9:40)
• Teresa encourages taking breaks when needed, evaluating current processes, and finding ways to improve them to combat burnout and enhance client satisfaction. (12:56)
• Teresa mentions that by taking challenging moments and leveling up, companies can adapt and improve, and by matching industry trends and adapting to changes. (18:03)
• Teresa suggests that to combat burnout, engage in activities like staying focused on your vision, delegating, and taking breaks to focus on the future and improve the agency and industry. (21:32)

Key Quotes:

• “So take a break if you need to, watch your processes, your systems, whatever it is, think about how you can level up, okay? Work with your team on leveling up, okay? And then also look at what you can delegate, okay? Those are three huge starting points for being able to combat burnout.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “If we can take these challenging moments, we can take just a little bit of time, level up, ask ourselves what doesn't work, then when the changes come down the road between claims, between the way that you know, companies operate, we will be further ahead, we will be matching, we will be better tomorrow than we are today.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “Use this time to push forward. You need to take a little bit of a break, take a little bit of a break. Maybe you can clean cranky clients out of your book. Maybe that would help your team. But vision for the future and help your team to vision for the future, help them to feel like they're moving forward, making that agency better and your industry better for tomorrow because that is what we need to always be working on.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Kim shares her career background. (2:53)
• What really surprised Kim when she first started out in insurance? (4:53)
• Kim shares what she found interesting after watching the movie, The Founder. (6:53)
• Kim discusses gender roles within the industry and some of the feedback she’s received. (10:29)
• Kim mentions their goals at InsureWomen. (11:51)
• Kim shares where she envisions InsureWomen, five years from now. (14:06)
• What were some of the first impressions of Kim’s platform? (16:57)
• Kim explains the most hilarious thing about rough notes. (20:10)
• What sort of changes has Kim been seeing in the industry recently? (30:46)

Key Quotes:

• “I feel like I'm on a mission now, and I think that could happen to anybody. It’s so interesting because it's just a different tweak of how you think about things. So, if you feel like you're stuck somewhere, there's light at the end of the tunnel, things could change tomorrow, and something great could come about.” - Kim Beach
• “We have the consumers and then we have the female agents that were trying to really create a community. I mean, as far as I can tell, there's not a national community of female agents. So, InsureWomen would love to be that community, where we can come together with best practices and that kind of thing.” - Kim Beach
• “I'm older, but I'm doing new things every day that I never thought I would be doing because of this. And it's exciting to me, like, my whole world is different and that can happen to anybody. I just think you have to be ready for that to happen, kind of be looking for that opportunity that could change what you're doing.” - Kim Beach

Resources Mentioned:

• Kim Beach LinkedIn
• InsureWoSmen
• June 2021 Rough Notes Article
• IBA Elite Women 2021 Award
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Kelly mentions one of the things they try to fight for, within the agency. (4:54)
• Kelly shares her background and how she got into the insurance industry. (7:49)
• What are some of the key factors that people working in agencies or agency owners struggle with? (12:57)
• Kelly explains why women have a stronger challenge with accountability and communication than other people do. (18:54)
• Kelly mentions why she likes identifying roles. (19:31)
• Kelly shares why she wants the women to be in tune with something personal, whatever their goal is. (21:19)
• Kelly mentions how the online school came about. (24:57)
• Kelly explains how she came up with the idea to launch an online school. (26:49)

Key Quotes:

• “If you really invest in yourself, in your career...and, that could be from taking payments and learning how to cross-sell...you could do anything in insurance. And, I want every woman out there to hear that, because you don't have to settle for anything. If you have an insurance license, the potential is unlimited if you invest in yourself.” - Kelly Donahue-Piro
• “One thing that I like doing is identifying roles. So, ultimately, as chairman of the board, president of the business, my job is to keep things profitable, and be able to keep investing in the business to keep everybody employed.” - Kelly Donahue-Piro
• “Sometimes people are motivated by what's important to them. Sometimes people are motivated by seeing others succeed. And so, that's helped out a lot in my businesses and it's helped out in agencies too when people can kind of rally together.” - Kelly Donahue-Piro

Resources Mentioned:

• Kelly Donahue-Piro LinkedIn
• Agency Performance Partners
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• How did Aimey get her start in the insurance industry? (2:51)
• Aimey mentions that when she opened her main office, she was in a unique situation. (11:16)
• Aimey discusses her carrier selection process. (13:00)
• Has Aimey encountered any difficulties in going it solo as opposed to working with a larger buying network? (13:59)
• Aimey explains how they got started in their original niche. (18:29)
• Aimey shares how other agencies, including her own, are combining old and new school insurance practices in order to truly reach out and build their business. (23:05)
• Aimey discusses the importance of marketing a product or a business. (32:57)

Key Quotes:

• “I think having open lines of communication with your marketing rep and with the underwriters and really learning the guidelines and quoting them as much as you can to figure out what fits is really how you start off successful with any carrier that you take on.” - Aimey Bryan
• “I think there are ways that you have to figure out how to make that connection, whether it's through social media, whether it's sending a thank you card, still, I feel like a handwritten thank you card goes a long way.” - Aimey Bryan
• “If you can say I'm going to do one thing to market my agency a day, just one thing, whether that's like a post or whether it's calling, you know, five new prospects or something like that, if you can do one thing a day to push the needle forward at the end of the year, you're going to be that much further ahead.” - Aimey Bryan

Resources Mentioned:

• Aimey Bryan LinkedIn
• Bryan Insurance Agency
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa explains why, despite the fact that the insurance sector is theoretically 61-63% female, less than 15% of women are in the C suites, management, and leadership position. (2:16)
• Teresa mentions that being brave requires stepping beyond one's comfort zone. (3:20)
• Teresa explains that she is a huge storyteller; she enjoys telling others about what has happened to her or what has happened to a client and what she has learned. (6:07)
• Teresa believes that we must recognize that taking a break on certain days is a necessary element of progressing and becoming better. (9:11)
• Teresa mentions that journaling enables her to further evaluate her ideas. (10:39)
• Teresa admits that she is the queen of setting goals that are much too lofty for her. (16:59)
• Teresa explains that our lives, companies, and jobs are all living, breathing things with their own rhythms. (17:52)
• Teresa discusses how we cannot aim for perfection since perfection is subjective. (19:07)
• Teresa discusses her favorite quote from Alice in Wonderland and why she loves it so much. (21:39)

Key Quotes:

• “No matter what we do inside the insurance industry, we need to show up every single day and bring our very, very best. That is about everything that we can do.” - Teresa Kitchens 
• “I don't know everything in the world, my team members do not know everything in the world, but they are brilliant in their own way.” - Teresa Kitchens 
• “When we voice our thoughts, when we voice our concerns, when we voice our journey, when we voice our ideas…They can be things that inspire other people.” - Teresa Kitchens 

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Majda shares how she got into the insurance industry. (1:44)
• Majda explains where her passion lies in this industry. (3:07)
• How long has Majda been on the independent side? (5:49)
• Majda mentions how the pandemic has affected their industry. (8:05)
• Majda shares the time when she opened her agency in 2018. (9:50)
• Majda mentions one of the reasons why she likes doing podcasts. (11:54)
• Majda explains why opening an independent agency was mind-blowing for her. (13:17)
• Majda mentions the significance of having a good support system at home. (17:06)
• Majda shares how she has found success on the independent side. (21:56)
• Majda shares a story about the time when she was hired by a captive company. (36:24)

Key Quotes:

• “I started to dig deeper and kind of pick at different ideas on what would really make a difference in this industry, and it came down to me really wanting to empower the public, and making the right decisions when purchasing insurance.” - Majda Baltic
• “One of the reasons why I like doing these podcasts is because it helps me to connect with other agents that are kind of in a similar situation. Even when you figure things out, it's still good to have people around you that have somewhat of the same idea.” - Majda Baltic
• “Anytime that you hit a roadblock, taking those moments, and really just sitting with yourself and saying, you know, it's okay to take this break, or to take a week off, or whatever it is that you need. It's so replenishing. And it really refuels your soul in that fire to keep pushing forward.” - Majda Baltic

Resources Mentioned:

• Majda Baltic LinkedIn
• Majdas Touch Insurance, Inc.
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Angela shares her insurance background. (1:15)
• Angela explains why insurance is an amazing field for women. (4:12)
• How did Angela build her agency? (5:05)
• Angela shares what she finds most agency owners struggle with. (9:20)
• Angela mentions a common factor they found with agencies they had educated. (12:50)
• Does Angela think that male agency owners have different philosophies in running their agency? (15:02)
• Does Angela find that women are culture driven differently in their agency? (17:10)
• Angela explains what Omnia is all about. (24:04)
• What does MAP stand for? (27:59)

Key Quotes:

• “I developed a love for insurance agency automation, improving efficiency and operations in an agency, and really thrived in that environment, and was doing the accounting for that agency... But, I really found my passion was more on the automation and operation side.” - Angela Adams
• “I think people who are drawn to the insurance environment have a very high desire to help people, and I think it's why women thrive in this environment. Because, naturally, we're very nurturing and helpful, and this industry gives us a way to do that.” - Angela Adams
• “If we can do the accounting or the operations management for an agency, then the agency owners can focus on what they do really well, which is generally selling insurance and growing their agency... And, by taking the things off of them that they're not good at doing, they do better as an agency. That's how we've grown, is by helping our agencies achieve their goals.” - Angela Adams

Resources Mentioned:

• Angela Adams LinkedIn
• Angela Adams Consulting Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Michelle and Teresa talk about surviving a hard market and being a resource for your clients.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle discusses the insolvency of six companies in Florida the previous year and its effect on policyholders. (2:27)
• Michelle explains the application of a depreciation schedule for roofs, contrasting it with full replacement costs, and its connection to auto insurance. (10:26)
• Michelle and Teresa discuss the challenges of educating clients on insurance issues, including the misconception that insurance is "free money." (18:44)
• Michelle mentions that they receive a significant amount of business through Facebook neighborhood groups, where individuals seek insurance recommendations and mention their names. (30:56)
• Michelle shares her thoughts on the mental strain resulting from making decisions on behalf of clients all day, expressing her need for a respite from decision-making. (37:15)
• Teresa discusses her strategies for managing her workload, which include emailing reminders to herself. (42:48)

Key Quotes:

• “We try to put ourselves out there, especially in our community, because we are here. And we put ourselves out there to be a resource.” - Michelle Mosher
• “At the end of the day, I'm a people person. I want to help most of the people. We spent a lot of time last year learning who our client was, and we've gotten really good at this.” - Michelle Mosher

Resources Mentioned:

• Michelle Mosher LinkedIn
•  Southshore Insurance Professionals
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

They discuss mentoring done right and how to build the courage to be our very best.

Episode Highlights:

• Dawnyel discusses her passion for empowering women in the insurance industry and how she started the Women In Insurance Sharing Empowerment (WIISE). (2:28)
• Dawnyel shares her strategy of making it easy to show appreciation and make a difference in people's lives by using cards with positive messages. (13:01)
• Dawnyel discusses various ways she shows appreciation to her team, clients, and agencies, including giving scholarships and challenges, and emphasizes the importance of knowing the love language of one's team. (18:42)
• Dawnyel explains how she helps people manage their personal and professional life by asking questions and giving them a planner. (34:36)
• Dawnyel encourages people not to take rejection personally, as it doesn't mean you're wrong for everything you've done. (45:11)
• Dawnyel mentions that the WIISE Workshop was created to create a brave place to talk about empowerment, mental well-being, and how to have the right conversations at the right time. (52:28)

Key Quotes:

• “It makes it easier to take some risks and do stuff that is really, really scary if you embrace the one person on the positive side, instead of embracing the one person on the negative side.” - Dawnyel Smink
• “You're responsible for where your path is going, no matter what obstacles or things are thrown in your way, and you can decide to make it a learning lesson. And you can remove those obstacles, and then you can go move forward in your life.” - Dawnyel Smink

Resources Mentioned:

• Dawnyel Smink LinkedIn
• Canyon Lands Insurance
• CLI Select Agencies
• Wiise Women
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Monica discusses the TranscendwithM podcast and its goals. (3:11)
• Monica explains that everything she created with Troy Thompson, including the training for the VAs, is based on their experiences and the way they do business now. (13:45)
• Monica discusses their eight-week internal program that nourishes insurance knowledge into their Virtual Professionals. (17:45)
• Monica discusses the importance of having realistic expectations. (20:27)
• Monica mentions the fact that they hire people specifically to solve problems. (22:29)
• Monica explains the reason why they refer their employees as Virtual Professionals. (26:11)
• Monica explains why they chose to source employees from Pakistan over other countries for Savvital. (30:16)
• Monica mentions that their Virtual Professionals are working on their CIC and CISR certifications. (37:18)

Key Quotes:

• “The goal is to be a vessel of change and provide that platform for people. Because it's not about me helping them grow. It's about them helping each other grow. So that's kind of like what Transcend with M is doing right now.” - Monica Adwani
• “Explaining the why is the most important thing, and I will tell you that we spend more on the why, and getting the explanation of things than what we do on the process.” - Monica Adwani
• “I am learning, they are learning everybody's learning, and we will continue to learn as we grow. But I think the essence and the base of what we are doing, that will never change.” - Monica Adwani

Resources Mentioned:

• Monica Adwani LinkedIn
• Savvital
• TranscendwithM
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Lisa and Teresa discuss how to build a strong team in this hard market.

Episode Highlights:

• Lisa explains how she overstaffs her agency to be proactive and keep an extra person to make sure that they are reaching out to their clients with everything they need. (2:40)
• Lisa mentions that her team is cross-trained to help everyone else and that she values her team members by knowing their personalities and strengths to assign them to the right roles. (5:22)
• Lisa discusses how they keep their workplace joyful, including fun days, competitions, and community involvement. (10:55)
• Lisa explains the importance of valuing team members and creating a fun workplace, which leads to happier employees and better customer service. (13:12)
• Lisa shares that they have increased their Facebook presence and engagement by over 450% through giveaways, tagging, and linking TikTok and Instagram. (17:55)
• Lisa discusses the importance of partnering with other businesses to create events and experiences for the community. (23:44)
• Lisa mentions that she encourages her team members to offer ideas for community involvement and agency improvement during the interview process and team meetings. (30:30)
• Lisa believes that it is important to be open to team member feedback and revisit processes to ensure they are working effectively. (32:38)

Key Quotes:

• “You’ve got to find a way to keep people in this competitive market. You know, the workforce environment. And one of them in us, I think the value and making it, you know, a fun place to be, but you’ve got to be serious. And you’ve got to find a way to keep that implemented to keep your goals going.” - Lisa Brady

Resources Mentioned:

• Lisa Brady LinkedIn
• Brady Insurance Group
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Charlotte talks to Teresa about her passion for helping agencies to brand themselves and her education regarding flood insurance with the National Alliance.

Episode Highlights:

• Charlotte discusses her family's insurance agency, her work as a tax accountant, and her transition back to the insurance industry. (1:15)
• Charlotte encourages all insurance agents to offer flood coverage with every property policy and to educate their clients on flood risk and show them how floods can happen. (5:39)
• Charlotte explains that flood insurance is beneficial for agents, customers, and communities, as it protects them from uncovered losses and reduces the need for public assistance. (10:57)
• Charlotte discusses the importance of branding and marketing in the insurance industry and the need for companies to differentiate themselves from competitors by communicating their unique brand message. (14:52)
• Charlotte explains that an agency's voice should reflect the personality of its leadership and cater to its ideal clients. (18:37)
• Charlotte discusses the importance of consistency in carrying out an agency's brand message across all marketing and operational systems. (24:21)
• Charlotte shares how to use AI tools like Chat GPT for ideation and content creation. (29:37)
• Charlotte mentions that there are now AI tools for creating videos, social media snippets, and blog posts. (34:13)
• Charlotte shares that coaching helps customers develop marketing systems and match their needs to the customer value journey. (37:51)
• Charlotte explains that businesses can be successful by listening to their customer, listening to their prospects, and having a growth framework that looks at the customer journey, tactics, marketing initiatives, and analytics to measure success. (42:37)

Key Quotes:

• “It's really important for people to understand why you're different and why they should do business with you, and what is unique about you. And that's your brand message, and you need to communicate that, from the very beginning to the very end.” - Charlotte Hicks
• “It actually deepens the loyalty when you do have that repetition of your brand message and carry that through all of your marketing…this is where having good systems and processes in your agency matters.” - Charlotte Hicks
• “The biggest thing that AI is doing for us right now, is it's helping us do things faster in marketing, it's not replacing anything, it's helping us do it faster.” - Charlotte Hicks

Resources Mentioned:

• Charlotte Hicks LinkedIn
• Nowpreneur
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa explains that Overcoming Underearning does not imply that a person is unsuccessful, but rather that they are not giving themselves enough credit and are not managing their personal lives and finances in a way that allows them to achieve their goals. (1:10)
• Teresa mentions that in order to apply the knowledge from “Overcoming Underearning”, it is necessary to be a person of action and create a game plan for how to grow in the future. (5:26)
• Teresa believes that having a plan of action will assist individuals in getting where they want to go, which is critical in getting anybody through the process. (8:19)
• According to Teresa, the book “Overcoming Underearning” teaches the importance of respecting and appreciating money by taking good care of it and developing habits that will get you where you want to go. (13:59)
• Teresa discusses an exercise in the book which is about letting go of bad habits, identifying and restructuring negative inner chatter, and delegating negative activities. (18:54)
• Teresa believes that for some people, casting the entirety of a vision is scary. (23:14)
• Teresa suggests that we let go of our attachments to the past and form new habits that help move us forward. (24:17)
• Teresa shares that she loves the book “Overcoming Underearning” because it provides numerous examples of how one step leads to the next, which leads to further progress toward goals. (24:49)
• Teresa suggests that instead of setting a specific deadline for huge goals, take one step at a time to illuminate your path and move forward. (26:04)
• Teresa mentions that Barbara Stanny's book “Overcoming Underearning” encourages us to think beyond finances and create great habits to make tomorrow better than it was today. (27:01)

Key Quotes:

• “Overcoming underearning does not mean that we don't earn a good living, it doesn't mean we're not successful people, it does not mean that we for some reason, are underperforming. What it means is that we're not giving ourselves enough credit.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “I love the book, it really gives us so many examples even at the end when she puts it all together, of people who went on out and they took one step. And that one step illuminated the next step that they wanted, which then illuminated the next step that they wanted, which then illuminated the next step that they wanted.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• Book: Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions that, in her opinion, Overcoming Underearning is about becoming entirely who she wants to be, not simply about money, finances, or treating herself well. (4:54)
• Teresa reminds everyone that being an underearner does not mean that people are unhappy with their current situation; rather, it indicates that they are earning less than they could or should be earning. (6:13)
• Teresa shares that she loves the second portion of the book because it truly talks to us about how stating the truth is the beginning of saying “I want more”. (8:10)
• Teresa explains that we must also consider what we want to include in our financial future. (15:57)
• Teresa discusses the part of the book that touches on the importance of writing down every fear we have in our heads. (21:56)
• Teresa mentions that the only thing holding us back is ourselves because we make subconscious changes or decisions to avoid taking risks. (30:23)
• Teresa explains that affirmations and reprogramming our minds with positive ideas help us overcome underearning and worries to go where we want to go. (33:43)
• Teresa believes that Overcoming Underearning is reprogramming us to be honest with ourselves and to attain our objectives, both financially and in other ways. (36:05)
• Teresa discusses that her security and safety are important to her and although she wants someone else to look after her, based on her experience, she understands that isn't always the case. (45:15)
• Teresa explains the reasons why we should stop asking for the opinions of other people. (53:02)

Key Quotes:

• “Remember, the definition of an underearner does not mean you're not okay with where you are. It means you're earning less than you should be making, you could be making.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “Affirmations and being able to reprogram our mind with positive thoughts rather than negative ones. It helps us to not overcome underearning but it helps us to be able to step over our fears to get where we want to go.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “For me, security and safety is a really, really big thing. I run for security and safety, I want somebody else to take care of me, but I also know based on my life, that that's not always the way that it works. And I also know that I don't need to take away somebody else's ability to take care of themselves.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• Book: Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life

Abby and Teresa talk about her company Market Retrievers and how they help agencies find their Marketing voice.

Episode Highlights:

• Abby shares that her first job was with the state association for independent insurance agents, focusing on social media and SEO. (2:03)
• Abby explains that people are concerned with ROI, so it is important to have a digital footprint that is more than just a website. (7:06)
• Abby mentions that social media is essential for agency growth, it is also a credible source for other people to see that a company is doing something that works. (11:08)
• Abby discusses how she makes sure that the whole team is involved in social media. (15:00)
• Abby explains why men can be more resistant to change than women. (20:25)
• Abby shares how Market Retrievers brings together social media opportunities for virtual agencies or agencies that may not all sit in the same location. (28:10)
• Abby mentions that when they meet with a prospect for the first time, they provide an assessment of their current digital strategy, and look for areas of improvement. (30:45)
• Abby explains that businesses on social are becoming more relaxed, funny, relatable, and conversational. (38:07)
• Abby shares an experience where they filmed a 15 second video of a day in the life of an agency and it got 10,000 views on Instagram. (41:41)

Key Quotes:

• “When we very first meet with somebody that's a prospect, we provide an assessment. So we go through all of their social channels, not just their digital presence, their Google My Business, everything, and kind of see areas of improvement, and we offer suggestions.” - Abby Wheeler
• “I think it all boils down to the little moments, the culture and agency of, someone brought their dog in today, or their two year old’s coming in today. Like, that's what people want to see. And that's the culture of your business. And that's what does well on social and that's what makes our job really fun.” - Abby Wheeler
• “We would love to have anyone that needs social media or even just the smallest amount of help. We have multiple tiers and we work with so many people that want to do the littlest thing or the whole enchilada. So we are very flexible. We're still new so we understand that people need different things.” - Abby Wheeler

Resources Mentioned:

• Abby Wheeler LinkedIn
• Market Retrievers
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Crystal shares that her journey in the past year has been a whirlwind of growth and figuring out carrier services and state regulations and that permanent makeup is a bulk of their business, but it requires a lot of work due to different state regulations. (1:43)
• Crystal emphasizes the importance of meeting certain requirements such as completing 40 hours of training and five models to obtain insurance coverage for PMU services. (3:06)
• Crystal discusses how she manages the growth of her insurance business while creating standard operating procedures and emphasizing the importance of asking the right questions during initial customer communication. (13:53)
• Crystal explains the importance of honesty, and accuracy in filling out forms in the insurance industry. (19:50)
• Crystal mentions that private Facebook groups brought in a lot of business and that referrals played a key role in their growth. (27:59)
• Crystal shares that she plans to do more educational and engaging content using live videos and reels on social media to inform potential customers about creating LLCs and business structures. (33:56)
• Crystal mentions that she utilizes private Facebook groups to stay informed about new trends and services industry to provide quality service and remain competitive. (38:38)
• Crystal advises beauty professionals to have comprehensive insurance coverage that covers their personal and business needs, including all the services they offer. (45:17)

Key Quote:

• “You put yourself out there, you tried. Maybe it didn't work, but that doesn't mean something else won't. So you keep trying.” - Crystal Fox

Resources Mentioned:

• Crystal Fox LinkedIn
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Kaleigh and Teresa have a series chronicling her first year in the insurance industry. She was licensed in Feb 2022 and she is at the halfway point of her State Auto Commercial Training Program. They discuss her struggles, the challenges of working with family, and the experience of being a remote producer in a virtual agency.

Episode Highlights:

• Kaleigh shares the highlights of her first year in the insurance industry. (2:55)
• Kaleigh mentions that each generation handles relationships, especially business relationships, differently, and adapting that in her role has been interesting. (5:06)
• Kaleigh shares her strategy for handling everything she had to accomplish for her CLCS exam, as well as how she digests all of the information, knowledge, and particularly the insurance terminology. (8:28)
• Kaleigh believes that the Auto State program has significantly helped her in building confidence and in her ability to communicate with a business owner. (11:54)
• Kaleigh explains that schedule blocking has helped her become more comfortable with her personal and professional schedules, allowing her to be more productive while working remotely for the agency. (20:14)
• Kaleigh discusses the most difficult aspect of her first year in the industry and how she dealt with it. (31:27)
• Kaleigh explains that understanding what keeps the client up at night is important because it lets you get out of your own way and have a good conversation with clients. (35:31)
• Kaleigh mentions that now that she's halfway through the State Auto program, she's thrilled to go more into marketing, the Chamber of Commerce, a little bit more outsourcing, and connecting with more young professionals in Denver. (40:14)
• Kaleigh discusses her most recent challenge and how having an icebreaker that isn't related to commercial insurance to first bring up with a business owner that adds value to them has been a game changer. (44:40)
• Kaleigh believes that the most significant developments in business right now are a wave of casualty, comfort, and a more natural relationship rather than the stereotypical suit and tie. (48:59)
• Kaleigh discusses the moment she made her first solid sale and how she felt about it. (51:18)
• Kaleigh discusses the importance of getting yourself ready and prepared for the day. (55:10)

Key Quotes:

• “I'm not going to say I'm perfect. I'm not going to say I'm all-knowing by any means. I know probably 10% of each industry. But I wouldn't even know that 10% if it weren't for those steps that the state Auto Program put me through.” - Kaleigh Kitchens, CLCS
• “The industry itself is really robust and the fact that commercial lines specifically is working with countless other industries that you need to know the specialties of, and the ins and outs of in order to be a good agent for your client has forced me to be on top of my feet and to be aware of my surroundings and to take information in wherever I can.” - Kaleigh Kitchens, CLCS
• “Since I was virtual since I am also working with two different CRM systems through State Auto program and through Sterling, I feel like it just took me a while to get my butt into shape, just organize myself and figure out how to do so. And now that I figured that out, on top of the confidence of believing in myself, I feel like the possibilities are going to be limitless.” - Kaleigh Kitchens, CLCS

Resources Mentioned:

• Kaleigh Kitchens, CLCS LinkedIn
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Jason shares his journey and how, over the last five to ten years, he has truly settled into who he is in the insurance world. (2:11)
• Jason believes that his 2015 book "Customer Service Is Just For Play" is still relevant today, except that the tools mentioned in the book now use technology. (5:11)
• Jason discusses how he came up with the concept for IndieTech 2023, where agents can come to find the technology that is right for their business. (8:30)
• Jason explains that with AI technology inside their browser, people don't need API’s, integrations, or to go from one program. (13:06)
• Teresa discusses why agents must be forward-thinking, particularly when it comes to technology that bridges the gap between speed and information availability. (14:58)
• Jason explains that embracing AI technology is not a bad thing because it will improve what people do and make things easier. (16:49)
• Jason discusses the different activities planned particularly for IndieTech carriers and vendors at IndieTech 2023. (19:46)
• Jason explains how he creates a conference environment that isn't too overwhelming for agents. (21:38)
• Jason discusses Mitch Gibson and Krista Kautz's IndieSales for Young Agents agenda for the first day of IndieTech 2023. (25:13)
• Teresa mentions that one of her main goals is to be able to build a great agency where her staff and clients are happy and fulfill their goals. (32:18)
• Jason explains how easy technology can be. (34:12)
• Jason discusses how and where to find out more about the IndieTech 2023 conference and how to register. (36:59)

Key Quotes:

• “When we did Agents Influence, it is important to know, this is still my motto and slogan today: It's to create forward changing momentum in the greatest industry God ever created by giving a voice to those who have no voice.” - Jason Cass
• “You've got to be an insurance agent, you've got to know what's going on to make and create software. So what we are seeing, we're starting to see a lot of independent agents who are making software for us.” - Jason Cass
• “AI is going to help you, it's going to know what you're doing and where you're going to be going. And it's going to be built right into your browser. It's going to be your buddy that's going to help you every day. I promise, it's coming and it's not far away.” - Jason Cass

Resources Mentioned:

• Jason Cass LinkedIn
• IndieTech 2023
• Agency Intelligence
• Virtual Intelligence
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Jessica shares how her career started and what led her to start her own company. (1:59)
• Jessica discusses how AcuMax differs from other tools and how Be Industries helps businesses build better teams. (5:28)
• Jessica explains that one of the most difficult challenges that company owners or hiring managers face in order to be successful is leadership. (13:56)
• Teresa discusses how to be a better leader while working with your team. (21:51)
• Teresa discusses how important it is to make sure your team enjoys working together and how each person works with the others to be able to work in their own love language. (24:47)
• Jessica expresses her desire for everyone in the world to be able to have the level of self awareness to truly let go of control and let go of our ego. (26:55)
• Teresa shares what inspired her to build an environment that is focused on the possibility of success. (32:26)
• Jessica mentions that if company owners start to understand our leadership traits, as well as their employees' leadership qualities, they will begin to discover how to empower them to be their self-led selves. (34:23)
• Teresa discusses that as the industry's culture changes, we must ensure that we are hiring the right people and loving them in the right way because our people are the biggest resource in a company. (37:47)

Key Quotes:

• “The foundation of a business is leadership, communication and culture, right? And it settles on purpose. So, if you think about layers like that, leadership is so important.” - Jessica Klatt
• “If we can start to understand our leadership qualities, and also the leadership qualities of our staff, that's a love language. We start to learn how to empower them to be their self-led selves.” - Jessica Klatt
• “If I'm acquiring the business and the staff, and they were not taught to lead themselves, what am I actually buying? So now you're putting yourself right into the thick of the fire. And you will have to start over, I promise you, you will have to do a lot of hard work.” - Jessica Klatt

Resources Mentioned:

• Jessica Klatt LinkedIn
• Be Industries, LLC
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Vira believes that what is missing in some agencies is that people do not bring the same level of excitement that they have in other aspects of their life to the thing that puts food on the table. (3:27)
• Vira discusses the significance of having your own voice on social media. (6:22)
• Vira mentions that she and her husband have a company that focuses on ensuring that entrepreneurs put themselves into their businesses. (9:14)
• According to Vira, if your business cannot run without you, your procedures have not yet been solidified, and your staff has not been given the freedom to function. (19:07)
• Vira explains that having a sales process helps generate new leads as well as get the cancellations list back on the books. (22:32)
• Vira shares how she reacts when individuals come back to her and say, "I'm too busy," when she's attempting to reclaim a client. (25:35)
• Vira mentions that we must get rid of all of the old society's cultural expectations that women have to do everything. (33:54)
• Vira mentions that they have many female clients that are the breadwinners in their relationship. (35:46)
• Vira explains how to use your process to empower and lift up your agents. (49:05)
• Vira recommends that if you're going to start an agency, you need to have some reserves because it is a lengthy game. (54:28)

Key Quotes:

• “If your business can't function without you, your processes are still not solidified. And your people have not been given the freedom to function either.” - Vira Egli
• “What's really interesting is that we have so many female clients who are the breadwinners in the relationship. And I just love seeing that.” - Vira Egli
• “If you're going to start an agency, have some reserves because this is a long game.” - Vira Egli

Resources Mentioned:

• Vira Egli LinkedIn
• Insurance Solutions AMIA
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Brittany discusses her experiences before entering the insurance industry and what led her to The Arbeli Group. (1:27)
• Brittany mentions that she likes marketing but didn't realize how much she loves it until she got into insurance. (5:23)
• Brittany explains how the Monday.com project management software has changed her job and the way she interacts with clients. (8:50)
• Brittany discusses how using Monday.com helped her clients settle in and helps the agency owner keep track of what their team is doing. (12:55)
• Brittany mentions that as a member of the sales team, the biggest way a project management software has benefited her is that she can keep notes on how to do specific sales procedures within the software. (17:27)
• Brittany mentions she has been in the business for three years and began as someone who handled phones and completed a few service requests before growing into the marketing and sales role that she is now. (34:27)
• Teresa explains that one of the benefits of being an independent agent is having the freedom to make your own decisions. (38:34)
• Brittany mentions that having an agency owner that is flexible and listens to her wants has only helped her improve. (39:19)
• Brittany explains how she communicates with Cassidy Arbeli, the agency owner about potential development opportunities for the agency. (42:35)
• Brittany discusses what it's like to be completely remote and what she enjoys about it. (47:39)
• Brittany shares how important it is for agency owners to create a safe space for their employees, and how The Arbeli Group has created that safe space for her. (50:14) 

Key Quotes:

• “I do dabble in the sales when I'm able to. And the best way that it has helped me is that I can actually keep notes in monday.com on how to do certain sales processes.” - Brittany Miranda
• “I feel like with people who do want to grow and have that mindset of wanting to try new things, it’s helpful having someone who's flexible above you to allow you to explore that.” - Brittany Miranda
• “If agency owners can just create a safe space for their employees, I feel like it makes all the world of difference.” Brittany Miranda

Resources Mentioned:

• Brittany Miranda LinkedIn
• All Nevada Insurance - Arbeli Agency
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Katherine discusses how she got into the insurance industry and what she loves about it. (1:53)
• Katherine explains that creating a strategy focused on the products that are doing well in your market, city, or state can help you stand out and be unique in the insurance industry. (7:09)
• Katherine shares that, if you get a referral, the first thing you should do is learn as much as possible about the prospect from the referral source without being invasive. (12:43)
• Katherine mentions that learning about all of the products that individuals represent as independent agents is impossible since they change constantly, but being strategic in three or four lines of business they want to focus on is beneficial because clients want to communicate. (15:50)
• Katherine discusses how she tailors her presentations to high-net-worth clientele. (19:22)
• Katherine explains that if you have a more abundant mindset you will see that the more you interact with individuals who have the same mindset, the more opportunities you have to develop bigger businesses and policies. (23:25)
• Katherine explains that if an agent provides a fantastic experience throughout the purchase, they are in a position to ask for new business; but, once they begin combining other lines of business, they will have more conversations and one-on-one time with high net worth clients. (34:19)
• Katherine encourages agents to consider their 2023 reputation and client while at the same time, treating their current clients as they would new ones. (40:03)
• Katherine advises brand new insurance agents to sit down and honestly look at their weaknesses, as well as their current book of business, and give it some love and see how it responds. (42:43)

Key Quotes:

• “I take pride in the things that I do and building relationships with people.” - Katherine Sepulveda
• “Set up the type of client that you want to go after, find out everything that this person does to generate business for their business, as well as their everyday life.” - Katherine Sepulveda
• “I want to build a bigger community with women who are doing just the things that I'm doing. And I can learn from it because I'm sure there's a lot of other women out there doing great things that I can benefit from.” - Katherine Sepulveda

Resources Mentioned:

• Katherine Sepulveda LinkedIn
• John Galt Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Jessica discusses how she got into the insurance industry and the idea behind her agency. (1:25)
• Jessica explains that not having a physical office causes friction with certain customers who prefer to deal with an agency, a local, or an office. (7:19)
• Teresa mentions that working virtually was difficult for her as a leader and that it requires a particular type of person to work remotely and communicate well. (12:33)
• Jessica discusses their recruiting process in order to find the ideal individual for their culture and clients. (14:10)
• Jessica mentions that when it comes to attracting new talent into the industry outside of insurance, she looks for specific skill sets and the way people approach her about why they want to join her team. (20:02)
• Jessica discusses her training and development strategy for new talent on how to handle various issues they may encounter on a regular basis. (24:51)
• Jessica shares whether she prefers hiring individuals with no industry experience and teaching them or hiring people with a lot of industry experience and prior knowledge. (32:33)
• Jessica explains that they have personnel in California, Utah, Arizona, Washington, and Oregon and that since they are a referral-based agency, they write business where people are. (37:42)

Key Quotes:

• “In bringing new talent into the industry outside of insurance, I try to look for skill sets and the way that they message me and say, I want to join your team.” - Jessica Fukuchi
• “If you can't communicate your company culture, or your value statement, then there's no way that a candidate is going to be able to understand it and grasp it right?, if you don't even know what it is.” - Jessica Fukuchi

Resources Mentioned:

• Jessica Fukuchi LinkedIn 
• PCRG Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Melissa shares about her passion and her career in the insurance industry. (1:28)
• Melissa mentions that in the last four years, she's spent a lot of time answering student emails and that many people are frustrated that they've been invited into this career space but can't pass the exams. (2:53)
• Melissa explains that when teaching how to pass the license test, she doesn't simply explain a concept, but she relates it to the student and how they'll perform it in their profession. (10:54)
• Melissa mentions that she enjoys using real-life examples, which is one of the keywords that appear in her Google reviews. (14:55)
• Melissa believes that educators are something that is missing in the insurance space. (16:00)
• Melissa shares that she anticipate having such a large client base of smaller agencies but realized that they needed help without being able to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for it. (23:28)
• Melissa shares her amazement at being able to raise an army of people who are enthusiastically referring her and her company to help others. (25:50)
• Melissa discusses her future plans, which include creating video courses in series that are not recorded classes. (30:11)

Key Quotes:

• “I love to use stories because people remember stories more than they remember facts and details.” - Melissa Dillon
• “I didn't realize that I would end up having this huge customer base of smaller agencies that need this level of support without having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for it.” - Melissa Dillon
• “My customers have become my sales agents for me. And that's just amazing. And that's probably one of the most surprising things. Like, wow, I have created an entire army of people who are shouting my name, my business out there to help other people. And I did not anticipate that, I did not expect that. And that's just been really cool.” - Melissa Dillon

Resources Mentioned:

• Melissa Dillon LinkedIn
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Sarah explains that she wrote the book, "Undiscovered Voices", because she faced many obstacles and barriers in the insurance industry, which she believes many other women do as well. (1:30)
• Sarah explains that the book is all about working together to make strides for the next generation in insurance. (5:19)
• Sarah shares that she has worked in very toxic environments where feeling unsafe impacts the culture, dynamics, and inclusion. (13:00)
• Teresa explains that pursuing leadership training and engaging in leadership conversations are important because individuals cannot become better leaders until they go outside of their comfort zone. (13:26)
• Sarah discusses what we can do if we work in a setting without a competent leader. (18:01)
• Teresa believes that empowerment is necessary even if we are not in positions of leadership. (21:34)
• Sarah shares some of the book's interesting stories and feedback she has received from other women in the insurance industry. (24:13)
• Sarah believes that a company must be educated on what to do, how to keep awareness, how to mentor each other, and career pathing to retain employees and keep them interested. (29:53)
• Sarah mentions that a lot of insurance agencies now have marketing teams, which she feels is really important since most insurance people are not creative. (32:15)

Key Quotes:

• “I wrote the book because I've had a lot of obstacles and barriers that I know a lot of other women face as well in the insurance industry. Yet, a lot of leadership is saying that there's not enough talent. So, my argument is that the talent is here it's just not being discovered, fostered, and mentored, the same as it would be for men.” - Sarah Muniz
• “If you're able to duplicate yourself over and over again with other people by mentoring them…and you're truly, you know, putting yourself out there to make someone better because that's what a true leader does - they’re always trying to make others better, which makes your organization stronger, and, you know, happy employees stay. ” - Sarah Muniz
• “The book is all about collaboration, I really wanted it to be a collaboration, that we will all work together to make strides for the next generation.” - Sarah Muniz

Resources Mentioned:

• Sarah Muniz LinkedIn
• Undiscovered Voices
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Krista and Teresa talk about how she got into commercial insurance sales and how she is shaping the community around her through her relationship with the Young Agents of Oklahoma.

Episode Highlights:

• Krista discusses her background and journey in the insurance industry. (1:55)
• Krista shares one of the things that upset her as an account manager. (7:34)
• Krista shares that the mental process she went through to become a commercial line sales producer was first acknowledging to herself that she doesn't know everything. (12:48)
• Krista mentions that her favorite aspect of commercial insurance is being a jack of all trades since she can always learn something new. (17:58)
• Krista believes that her career as an account manager distinguishes her from most producers. (24:42)
• Krista explains the need to take as much time as you need before reacting to anything. (31:55)
• Krista discusses how Big I provide marketing opportunities to build your company on a national level and has really opened up a wide network of individuals. (38:46)
• Krista explains why getting out of your comfort zone is the key to success. (45:38)

Key Quotes:

• “My number one pet peeve is one of my clients treating my account manager poorly.” - Krista Kautz
• “The Big I really has done a lot and contributed a lot to the success I have had.” - Krista Kautz
• “You have your growth zone, and you have your comfort zone. And until you step out of your comfort zone, you are never going to get into that full growth. You are going to miss out on so many opportunities because you don’t step out of your comfort zone.” - Krista Kautz

Resources Mentioned:

• Krista Kautz LinkedIn
• Berrong Insurance Agency 
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Listen in to learn the importance of having relatable conversations with your clients to earn their trust and create connections with them faster and effectively. 

“What you say out loud is the way your life is going to be…the more you speak it into existence, the more it actually happens.”- Colleen [33:22]

Top Takeaways:

• Learning how to be personable when relating with clients to gain their trust.
• The importance of letting go of a negative mindset and adopting a positive one where you speak existence into your life.
• Taking the responsibility of actively make the change to be different for yourself. 

Key Moments:

• [1:54] Colleen shares her insurance journey from a hairstylist to when she fell in love with being a health insurance broker and later joining Combs and Company, LLC.
• [17:00] Colleen explains how she has mastered the art of gaining clients’ trust by being relatable and human and not just their insurance broker. 
• [23:27] The importance of having relatable conversations with clients especially during the isolated virtual world we’re currently living in.
• [29:44] How listening to podcasts changed Colleen’s mentality- from talking down on herself to speaking existence into her life, plus starting her own podcast. 
• [38:25] How to make the decisions to change your life by feeding yourself positivity especially during a pandemic.

Relevant Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tryandstopmepodcast/

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions that, in her opinion, Overcoming Underearning is about becoming entirely who she wants to be, not simply about money, finances, or treating herself well. (4:54)
• Teresa reminds everyone that being an underearner does not mean that people are unhappy with their current situation; rather, it indicates that they are earning less than they could or should be earning. (6:13)
• Teresa shares that she loves the second portion of the book because it truly talks to us about how stating the truth is the beginning of saying “I want more”. (8:10)
• Teresa explains that we must also consider what we want to include in our financial future. (15:57)
• Teresa discusses the part of the book that touches on the importance of writing down every fear we have in our heads. (21:56)
• Teresa mentions that the only thing holding us back is ourselves because we make subconscious changes or decisions to avoid taking risks. (30:23)
• Teresa explains that affirmations and reprogramming our minds with positive ideas help us overcome underearning and worries to go where we want to go. (33:43)
• Teresa believes that Overcoming Underearning is reprogramming us to be honest with ourselves and to attain our objectives, both financially and in other ways. (36:05)
• Teresa discusses that her security and safety are important to her and although she wants someone else to look after her, based on her experience, she understands that isn't always the case. (45:15)
• Teresa explains the reasons why we should stop asking for the opinions of other people. (53:02)

Key Quotes:

• “Remember, the definition of an underearner does not mean you're not okay with where you are. It means you're earning less than you should be making, you could be making.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “Affirmations and being able to reprogram our mind with positive thoughts rather than negative ones. It helps us to not overcome underearning but it helps us to be able to step over our fears to get where we want to go.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “For me, security and safety is a really, really big thing. I run for security and safety, I want somebody else to take care of me, but I also know based on my life, that that's not always the way that it works. And I also know that I don't need to take away somebody else's ability to take care of themselves.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• Book: Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life

Episode Highlights:

• Syd explains that she wanted to help tell the story of the independent agent in a way that made people feel like the rock stars they are. (2:30)
• Syd shares how her insurance career started, the companies she worked with, and how she grew in the insurance industry. (4:23)
• Syd mentions that she believes in small businesses because that is where her heart is, and she wants to use that to help Vertafore re-envision how it interacts with the industry. (14:20)
• Teresa explains that one of the things she loves about the insurance industry is that people can choose the type of environment they want to work in. (18:35)
• Syd believes that what she does in her personal life can give her either a competitive advantage or provide difficulty in her professional life. (21:43)
• Syd believes that the Power Women In Insurance podcast helps women recognize that there is more room for women in the insurance sector. (32:34)
• Teresa mentions she loves bringing in folks who work for large firms and other organizations so that listeners can see and hear about their corporate journeys. (32:25)
• Syd mentions that one of the things they're focusing on is having the marketing team serve as the voice of the client inside Vertafore in order to develop stronger relationships. (37:19)

Key Quotes:

• “I wanted to be able to be a part of telling the story of the independent agent and really making them cool, like making people feel like freaking rockstars. Because that's who we are at the end of the day.” - Syd Roe
• “I believe in small business, that's where my heart is, and it still is where my heart is. I think in many ways when I came to Vertafore, I wanted to bring that heart and soul into the company, and start to help Vertafore re-envision how it interacts with the industry, right? Not as just this machine, not as Goliath, but as a different sort of player in the space.” - Syd Roe
• “I do see my personal and professional as balanced, but not separated…For me, things that I do in my personal life can create a competitive edge, or can, you know, become a challenge for me in my professional life, and I have to be really conscious of the choices that I'm making in my personal life because they will affect my professional life.” - Syd Roe

Resources Mentioned:

• Syd Roe LinkedIn
• Vertafore
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Bobbie shares how she got into the insurance sector and what she's been doing in the insurance technology space. (1:09)
• Bobbie mentions that many Insurtech companies started out wanting to disrupt the industry but have since shifted to figuring out how they can best support the current operating model of the industry. (5:06)
• Bobbie explains how utilizing data is the only way to survive in this industry. (10:03)
• Bobbie discusses how technological advancements are changing the value proposition of independent agencies. (16:16)
• Bobbie mentions that Coterie Insurance launched “Simply Bind” in July of this year, which is their underwriting engine paired with their quoting engine, that provides agents with a legitimate quote within seconds or minutes. (22:15)
• Bobbie explains that the most valuable aspect of an insurance agent's job is to provide advice and that the data imported into the system, such as changing a vehicle or updating deductibles or credit cards, are things that insurance agents should not have to touch because they are simple enough to self-service. (30:00)
• Bobbie mentions that there are so many technology solutions for agents on the market today that they should begin with the area that is pushing toward their five-year goal and create tools around it. (32:24)
• Bobbie explains that Coterie uses a network of agents called Coterie Collaborative to help with decision-making, and some of Coterie's greatest partners are helping them figure out what to do next to grow and scale. (34:45)

Key Quotes:

• “The only way that we're going to survive or you will survive in this industry moving forward is using our data, whether you're a carrier and agency or an Insurtech, because the expense and the cost model of not doing so is going to put you in a place where you're just not going to be able to compete anymore.” - Bobbie Collies
• “My best advice there is to figure out what five years look like. What do you want to look like as an agency, and then start solving for the problems that you need to solve for.” - Bobbie Collies
• “Some of our best partners are helping us think through what we need to do next in order to make sure that we grow and scale with them.” - Bobbie Collies

Resources Mentioned:

• Bobbie Collies LinkedIn
• Coterie Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Anais shares how she got her start in accounting and what led her to business and career coaching. (1:19)
• Anais describes the process of getting a coaching certification and what it takes to be a truly great business coach. (4:16)
• Anais advises anyone, particularly business owners who want to make a change in their businesses, to take it one step at a time and understand that not everything will change in one day. (7:02)
• Anais explains how important it is to have goals and change them as life changes, but it is more about the trip than the destination. (14:18)
• Anais explains how to determine when to drop an idea that is no longer working and move on to the next. (19:24)
• Anais mentions that people must uncover the source of their repeating ideas and where these patterns are coming from because if they don't, they will repeat the same behavior. (28:01)
• Anais believes that we are the product of our experiences and environments throughout our lives. (31:30)

Key Quotes:

• “What I enjoyed the most about running the agency, working with my staff, was giving them good feedback, helping them realize their potential, and also doing those things for my clients.” - Anais Babajanian
• “Redefine what success means for you and your business. And make sure to ask what you’re following, not the industry average, or what the agency or across the street is doing. Make sure it's your definition of success.” - Anais Babajanian
• “You have to find the source of where these repetitive thoughts and these patterns are coming from? Because if you don't find that, then you're destined to do it again.” - Anais Babajanian

Resources Mentioned:

• Anais Babajanian LinkedIn
• Anais Babajanian Coaching
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa shares how reading Barbara Stanny's book Overcoming Underearning has changed the way she thinks about herself, her business, and what she wants to accomplish in the insurance industry. (00:11)
• Teresa explains that the book begins with a great parable, and it's truly about how we as people become overwhelmed by "what if," "maybe I can't," or "what if I don't?". (3:34)
• Teresa mentions that she loves the definition of stress in the first section of the book because it says stress is underearning and worrying about the future, and she can relate to it because she always worries about the future. (6:12)
• Teresa explains that underearning is a side result of not living our full potential, but we must remember that everyone has their own goals, perspectives, and way of reacting to things, and they react based on their own unique thoughts and feelings. (10:39)
• Teresa shares that being able to dive further into what we want helps us define what we want, which is important. (13:42)
• Teresa mentions that changing our relationship with money is one of the book's goals, and that money is just a tool to live the life we want to live. (18:03)
• Teresa explains that the greatest fear for underearners is having more to do. The main fear that underearners have about earning more money is that they will have no life and that continue work endlessly. (26:02)
• Teresa believes that if we do not accept personal responsibility, we will find ourselves in chaotic situations, financially, personally, spiritually, and emotionally, because we did not take care of business along the way. (29:16)
• Teresa encourages everyone to set goals, answer questions about whether or not they are underearners, and evaluate their mental conversations. (43:50)

Key Quotes:

• “Underearning is a side result from not living up to our full potential, whatever that looks like… but we have to remember that everybody has their own goals. Everybody has their own perspective. Everybody has their own way they react to things and they react based on their own personal thoughts and feelings.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “In order to grow and to learn and to be something more, we have to know what we want to be and what we want to accomplish in order to get there.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “One of the goals of the book is to be able to change our relationship with money. Money is just a tool. Money is a tool for us to live the life that we want to live.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “By knowing what we want to do with our money, what makes us feel successful, what makes us feel happy, we can give ourselves pieces of that. But then we also know how we need to learn how to not let that get out of control. That is very important because if it gets out of control, it can impede us from being able to get where we really want to go.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• Book: Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life

Episode Highlights:

• Elisa explains the importance of talking about insurance, not just as applies in the industry, but how it faces outward. (3:59)
• Elisa discusses what Phoenix is and how it interacts with Insure Equality, and how it is aligned with the company's mission. (6:29)
• Elisa shares that they have created seven components of culture that can measure how it feels to be in a workplace. (9:51)
• Elisa mentions that people matter and employees need to know that the company they work for cares for them and for the community that they are living in. (13:43)
• Elisa explains that the population within the insurance industry does not mirror or reflect the leadership, and one of the reasons is fear of admitting mistakes. (19:54)
• Elisa explains that from the leadership and congressional perspective, vulnerability is the first step to allowing others to be real. (27:05)
• Elisa mentions that trust is the scariest thing you can do because it requires you to be vulnerable, and authentic. (32:33)
• Elisa explains that the most discussed topic in their community is mental health. (33:31)
• Elisa explains that it is normal to experience pain when you are learning and growing. (36:01)
• Elisa shares that when we honor and respect and listen to as many voices as possible, it benefits everyone in the community. (39:36)

Key Quotes:

• "It's not just about saying that we're going to do the thing. It's about actually doing the thing, and how can I show up to do that thing as well." - Elisa Stampf
• "We need to know that the company that we work for cares about us and cares about the community that we're living in because we're seeing the shift. And even if we weren't, people matter, and that's the baseline." - Elisa Stampf
• "I will tell you, the more that you are real with yourself and others, the more that people that are like you that can mirror that back to you will show up for you" - Elisa Stampf

Resources Mentioned:

• Elisa Stampf LinkedIn
• Insure Equality
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions that we are at the time of the year when we think and make plans for the following year. (0:37)
• Teresa shares how she is managing after experiencing a major tragedy last year. (1:42)
• Teresa recalls a time in her life when she was just trying to keep everything together and mentions that it is okay to be in that season of life. (6:30)
• Teresa mentions that the book titled "Secrets of Six-Figure Women" has been really helpful to her. (8:56)
• Teresa shares that it is important to regularly ask ourselves what we want because as time goes by, it changes. (11:45)
• Teresa talks about the process of creating a list of 100 things that she truly wants and how that exercise impacted her mindset. (16:21)
• Teresa explains that regrets will always be there if you don’t ask yourself why you can’t have things that you actually want. (19:44)
• Teresa mentions that she will be starting a book club for women who are overcoming under-earning. (20:42)
• Teresa shares that she has always wanted to age gracefully and it is one of her priorities in life. (24:15)
• Teresa explains that it is also the time of the year to look back and see what holds you back from achieving your goals to the next level. (27:51)

Key Quotes:

• "As we get ready for goal planning for 2023, this is a mindset conversation. What holds me back from being able to accomplish what I want to accomplish?" - Teresa Kitchens
• "I think it's important to ask ourselves, what do we want? What we wanted maybe a year and a half ago, two years ago, may not be what we want today. And it might change." - Teresa Kitchens
• "If we don't level up, then how are we going to be a better leader if we don't do leadership activities, if we don't do leadership training, if we don't go out there and do the things that it takes to level up?" - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• Referenced Books:
• Overcoming Underearning
• "Secrets of Six-Figure Women"

Episode Highlights:

• Melinda shares her background experience and how she got into the insurance industry and joined Hanover Insurance. (1:19)
• Melinda explains that you need to ask for what you wanted to be involved in, in your career journey. (6:00)
• Melinda mentions that she has a group of high school friends who have been mentoring each other about business. (9:53)
• Melinda shares her experience and insights from taking the Culture Index, on which she learned that she has a high energy quotient. (14:34)
• Melinda elaborates on the importance of having your thinking time away from answering emails, and notifications. (20:26)
• Melinda discusses the importance of making sure to have small and realistic expectations for self-care. (24:02)
• Melinda shares that she loves connecting and talking to people because she believes that people need a safe place to discuss things they might be struggling with. (27:11)
• Melinda talks about a recent conversation with one of her agent partners about noise and disruption in the insurance industry right now. (31:30)

Key Quotes:

• "I think we always have to ask for what we want to be involved in. I think it's a little bit of a misnomer to think that people are going to carry you along in your career journey. I think you have to ask for it." - Melinda Krieger
• "Women that are working and weaving always encourage each other, and so I think it doesn't have to necessarily come from within the industry you're working in it can be other people in your community." - Melinda Krieger
• "So, I think one of the things I've had to wrestle with the most is that, while it's appropriate to have high energy and level of urgency, you have to figure out where that's appropriate to apply, right? Because you can't apply that level of energy and urgency to everything, there are different priority levels." - Melinda Krieger

Resources Mentioned:

• Melinda Krieger LinkedIn
• The Hanover Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Ati explains how she became interested in becoming a branding business coach. (1:35)
• Ati shares that while she was deciding what she wanted to do, she began working with women. (3:22)
• Ati explains how she helps women overcome their fear of being really authentic. (9:26)
• Ati believes that each of us can create a profitable personal brand by emphasizing who we currently are rather than attempting to become someone we are not. (13:59)
• Ati mentions that we can bring our own experiences and all we've done to develop relevancy, but we must first believe it. (19:14)
• According to Ati, a personal brand is more than just what we do, it genuinely incorporates who we are into what we do. (24:51)
• Ati discusses the four most important things women need to build their personal brand. (35:54)
• Ati explains that when someone isn't afraid to be vocal about their convictions, they attract people with the same beliefs. (40:28)
• Ati discusses what it means to "keep in mind who your audience is." (45:28)
• Ati explains that dedicating two hours per week to one platform is helpful. (50:05)
• When it comes to social media, Ati shares that she wants women to embrace leaving a legacy in the world. (57:46)

Key Quotes:

• “Women in general, we tend to believe that we have to be different and that we need to show up and that we need to be a certain way.” - Ati Grinspun
• “I work with women like you that are very passionate about what they do. Because I think that when you have a passion to help people or you have passion for what you do, you will do anything to get your voice across.” - Ati Grinspun
• “I do believe that every single one of us can build a profitable personal brand. We can stand out by putting a megaphone to we who we are already, instead of trying to become somebody we're not.” - Ati Grinspun

Resources Mentioned:

• Ati Grinspun LinkedIn
• Ati.G.Branding Photography
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Heather shares that she and her mother have been in the industry since 1997. (1:32)
• Heather explains that insurance is something you need to pay attention to in order to be profitable. (5:03)
• Heather shares how she decided to create a one-note platform to be able to organize everything according to the needs of the business. (7:37)
• Heather explains that they have saved a lot of time by creating an automation that is in her voice and own brand. (10:37)
• Heather shares that she created a robust training program for her VAs that are in the Philippines that turned out very well. (12:53)
• Heather elaborates on being very selective about who she works with as part of her being strategic. (16:22)
• Heather shares that with the help of automation, they can work on the company culture for their clients. (19:04)
• Heather explains that the importance of automation is that we have the capability to do things, but we are limited in time. (22:29)
• Heather elaborates that with the help of automation, people's love and passion for their work and their company increase (23:55)

Key Quotes:

• "I'm very selective about who I work with. And the reason is, I'm not going to give you all the tools and set you up for success, and then turn around and do that to a direct competitor." - Heather McBroom
• "Nothing that I offer is rocket science, right? We all know that we could have the capability to do this; it's the time that you don't have." - Heather McBroom
• "I mean, they're not out there doing sales, but they're out there doing something they're passionate about. And that increased, you know, their love for their job and for the company and increase the awareness of my company throughout the whole community." - Heather McBroom

Resources Mentioned:

• Heather McBroom LinkedIn
• Precision Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Ossiea explains that she has been in sales for nearly 20 years, beginning as a real estate agent before going on to insurance. (1:43)
• Ossiea shares what sparked her interest in the insurance industry. (2:53)
• According to Ossiea, Assured Connection Insurance started first by selling auto insurance and has grown from there. (9:17)
• Ossiea explains how she met the person who opened the door for her to numbers to the carriers. (10:57)
• Ossiea believes that real estate and insurance are strongly tied. (14:30)
• Ossiea explains why she switched from branding real estate and insurance to branding her identity. (17:03)
• Ossiea discusses how making connections and actively listening can help solve business problems. (21:57)
• Ossiea mentions that she is still learning time management and that her dyslexic son has taught her how to look at things from different perspectives. (29:57)
• Ossiea explains how she takes care of her mental health as a single mother. (34:46)

Key Quotes:

• “I was at my bottom. And I said, I will not let this be who I am. And I will not let this situation deter me to where I'm supposed to go. So that gave so much fire.” - Ossiea Lake
• “I'm going to the business and I started allowing the business to come to me because I have something unique.” - Ossiea Lake
• “Only thing that I knew was, I'm a mother. And whatever it takes, as a mother, we're going to win.” - Ossiea Lake

Resources Mentioned:

• Ossiea Lake LinkedIn
• Assured Connections Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Nikki discusses her background and what led her to start her agency with her mother. (3:03)
• Nikki shares that she honors her mother by continuing, building, and growing her mother's reputation and legacy. (7:26)
• Nikki discusses some of the challenges of being a business owner, mother, and wife. (12:22)
• Nikki shares that she hired her best friend and it was one of the best decisions that she made. (15:11)
• Nikki explains how she and her husband handle situations that may appear unfavorable when working together. (20:36)
• Nikki discusses a practice she's been using to handle emotions before speaking. (23:24)
• Nikki explains how she and her husband manage to balance family and business boundaries as a team. (30:32)
• Nikki mentions that with the support of her team, they are able to execute the plan of work-life balance and agency growth. (34:00)
• Nikki mentions she's always available to talk to anyone if there's anything she can do to help because she feels she wouldn't be where she is without the community of amazing people. (36:00)

Key Quotes:

• “The first year of each kid's life, I focused on their first year, and I slow down. And if the business took a hit, the business took a hit. You only get the first year once. So much happens in the first year.” - Nikki Ostrander
•  “We are doing things to move in the direction where we can chase our family and create that work-life balance that's so important to everyone.” - Nikki Ostrander
• “I'm always here to always here to talk to anybody if there's anything that I can do to help because, honestly, without this community of amazing people, I wouldn't be where I was.” - Nikki Ostrander

Resources Mentioned:

• Nikki Ostrander LinkedIn
• Watts Insurance Group
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Erin explains what it was like for her and her business during the height of COVID. (2:06)
• Erin shares her experience as a captive agent working for State Farm who later started her own business. (8:44)
• Teresa shares about being in business for 20 years, and how her divorce impacted her kids. (14:50)
• Erin shares some of the common pitfalls of being an agency owner in terms of mental health and well being (21:05).
• Erin shares some of the things that happen to her when she goes into a depressive state. (31:57)
• Erin explains that even though her business is successful, she has made the decision to sell her business because it is the ultimate best choice for her. (38:42)
• Erin shares more about the personal reasons that led her to the decision to sell her business. (42:28)
• Erin explains why she does not believe in the word balance because there are times you will need to be more present in one area of your life and it will never be 50/50. (50:40)
• Erin explains that an advantage of being a leader is that you have the ability to actually have the want to move through your depression or be aware of it. (55:15)
• Erin shares that if you feel like you don't want to do anything, you can do that, but do not unpack your bags and stay in that space. (57:46)
• Erin advises everyone to have a journal, as journaling has changed her life. (1:04:56)

Key Quotes:

• "I am a walking example that you can still function at your highest degree, you can still build a successful company, you can still work out every morning at 5:30 am and still be done with your kids after dinnertime and still not be happy. Because you don't feel filled." - Erin Kaiser
• "I don't believe in the word balance. I know that's weird. But I think it's an easy word that a lot of you are using because you have the truth is, you're never going to be balanced because sometimes in your life, you need to be more present in your personal life." - Erin Kaiser
• "Ultimately what made me decide to sell my business was I needed the mental change up of it. I needed to take all the things I love…I'm going to take all the great things that I've learned and all the great things that I've created and do something really freaking awesome. I'm pretty excited for the next chapter." - Erin Kaiser

Resources Mentioned:

• Erin Kaiser LinkedIn
• Integrity Insurance Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Monica discusses the TranscendwithM podcast and its goals. (3:11)
• Monica explains that everything she created with Troy Thompson, including the training for the VAs, is based on their experiences and the way they do business now. (13:45)
• Monica discusses their eight-week internal program that nourishes insurance knowledge into their Virtual Professionals. (17:45)
• Monica discusses the importance of having realistic expectations. (20:27)
• Monica mentions the fact that they hire people specifically to solve problems. (22:29)
• Monica explains the reason why they refer to their employees as Virtual Professionals. (26:11)
• Monica explains why they chose to source employees from Pakistan over other countries for Savvital. (30:16)
• Monica mentions that their Virtual Professionals are working on their CIC and CISR certifications. (37:18)

Key Quotes:

• “The goal is to be a vessel of change and provide that platform for people. Because it's not about me helping them grow. It's about them helping each other grow. So that's kind of like what Transcend with M is doing right now.” - Monica Adwani
• “Explaining the why is the most important thing, and I will tell you that we spend more on the why, and getting the explanation of things than what we do on the process.” - Monica Adwani
• “I am learning, they are learning everybody's learning, and we will continue to learn as we grow. But I think the essence and the base of what we are doing, that will never change.” - Monica Adwani

Resources Mentioned:

• Monica Adwani LinkedIn
• Savvital
• TranscendwithM
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Nancy took over the insurance agency at age 35, right after her father passed away. She shares the challenges she went through during that period and the changes she had to make to grow the agency.

Listen in to learn how Nancy together with her husband has grown Huff Insurance massively by incorporating the right technological and digital marketing strategies. You will also learn the hiring strategy that she uses in hiring the right person for the team. 

Top Takeaways:

• Taking over an old insurance agency and changing how things work.
• Understanding how technology works in growing an insurance business.
• How to deal with change resistance among the staff members.
• How to connect with clients through the use of extensive videos. 
• Finding the right employees that suit your agency’s values and expectations.

Key Moments: 

• [1:00] Nancy shares her story starting in insurance at 14 years and officially taking over her father’s insurance agency at age 35.
• [2:20] Overcoming the challenges that initially faced her in the agency and going on to more than doubled its size in 13 years.
• [7:35] How did she manage to take control of things in the agency? 
• [9:27] How digital marketing propelled them to grow so fast- clients came looking for them and not the other way around. 
• [12:01] She talks about how her husband got the education to do massive digital marketing for Huff Insurance.
• [14:35] How she dealt with technological change resistance among her staff.
• [19:18] The power of making connections with clients through video.
• [20:58] What is Nancy’s biggest superpower? 
• [23:25] Nancy shares the turning point that saw her decide to do the right thing without caring what others think. 
• [30:43] What type of employee make an excellent team player in Nancy’s agency? 

Visit the Power Women In Insurance Instagram Page! HERE

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/

Nancy's Deets:

Nancy's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.nicklow

Huff Insurance Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/huffinsurance.MD

Huff Insurance Website: https://www.huffinsurance.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-nicklow-63834227/

In this throwback episode of Power Women in Insurance Podcast, Jennifer describes her journey from answering phone calls to an agency owner. She shares how she juggled being a present mother and running a successful insurance agency.

Listen in to learn the methods that Jennifer uses to build lasting relationships with her clients and people in the insurance industry. You will also learn how you can start connecting with close communities on Facebook as a part of growing your business.

“If you’re being very intentional about the clients you want to write, they will then become your little team of referrals.”- Jennifer Klages 

Top Takeaways:

• Finding a family with the IOA relationships.
• How to cultivate authentic relationships with the right clients for massive business growth.
• Building a community within your home area as a way of growing the insurance agency.
• The power of having Facebook groups communities and their effectiveness. 
• Finding happiness in balancing being a mother and a career woman at the same time.

 Key Moments:

• [0:57] Jennifer talks about her insurance agency and how she started in the insurance industry. 
• [2:53] Going independent in 2012 and finding friends in the IOA relationships she has formed. 
• [6:20] The willingness of members to help within the IOA community that makes it easy to become a family of sorts. 
• [7:31] Jennifer shares how connecting with the perfect clients she wants to work with is her superpower.
• [8:23] The power that lies in the cultivation of authentic relationships and friendships with the right clients- and how it helps with business growth through referrals.
• [10:24] How Jennifer has been able to move towards personal and business growth by relating to the right people.
• [12:19] She talks about her home town and what it means to be in a community.
• [13:39] What does it mean to be in a Facebook community for an insurance agency owner?
• [16:29] Do Facebook groups provide the right target market?
• [18:18] What community Facebook groups would Jennifer recommend for other people in insurance to connect with?
• [21:33] Why being a career woman did not stop Jennifer from being a good mother to her daughters.
• [27:03] Enjoying every moment of being both an entrepreneur and a mother. 
• [31:37] She shares how she found support in both women groups and the IOA. 
• [33:32] The power of having the right people by your side.
• [34:45] What was Jennifer’s Shakubuku moment? 

Visit the Power Women In Insurance Instagram Page! HERE

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/

Jennifer's Deets:

Jennifer's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jennifertoddklages

My Choice Insurance Facebook Page: 

In this throwback episode of the Power Women in Insurance, Teresa shares her journey as a business owner, wife, and parent and the challenges she has had to face. She describes why she started this podcast as a way to encourage women to step up and be part of the insurance industry. 

Listen in to discover Teresa’s plans to make an impact in the community as she grows her business and herself.

Top Takeaways:

• Encouraging women in the insurance industry to step up and be better as their male counterparts.
• What to expect in the Power Women in Insurance Podcast moving forward.
• Learning the meaning of the word Shakubuku and its role in this podcast.

Key Moments:

• [0:25] Teresa explains her reasons for starting this podcast as a way to encourage more women to be part of the insurance industry.
• [3:32] Who is Teresa Kitchens, how did she find herself in the insurance industry, and what has she learned along the way. 
• [6:30] Questions she’ll be asking women in this podcast. 
• [6:39] What does Shakubuku mean, where it comes from and why it is Teresa’s favorite word. 
• [9:15] Teresa shares how family chaos led to finding her Shakubuku moment.
• [15:18] How she is using the same words with her team as she did with her children to make them successful.
• [17:32] The reasons why she is mentoring upcoming women in her industry.
• [18:26] What is the beauty of the independent insurance industry?

Resources Mentioned:

Book: Start by Jon Acuff: The Path from Average to Awesome

Visit the Power Women In Insurance Instagram Page! HERE

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/

In this throwback episode of the Power Women in Insurance Podcast, Brooke shares her insurance journey with the host Teresa Kitchens. She shares how she started with cold calling large commercial insurance agencies and later fell in love with the industry. 

Listen in to learn what it takes for a woman to start and run her own insurance agency. You will also learn what Brooke is doing to help women in the insurance industry, especially those who are just starting.

Top Takeaways:

• Rising from a stay at home mom to an insurance agency owner.
• The importance of keeping a positive mind and right attitude when running a business.
• Helping others as a form of giving back. 
• The power of working with people you like as a way to keep your business’s value.

 Key Moments:

• [0:25] Who is Brooke Sarratt? 
• [1:48] She shares her journey from being a stay at home mom to an entrepreneur.
• [4:04] How her voice became her strength during her cold calling days. 
• [7:22] Why she would like to get back to cold calling even though she isn’t doing it now.
• [9:05] Brooke shares how running her agency has become her biggest accomplishment.
• [11:51] How journaling keeps Brooke focused with gratitude and a positive mind.
• [15:20] How she is reaching out to help other women in the insurance industry refocus in the same way she was helped before.
• [20:59] Brooke shares her Shakubuku moment- learning to work with clients she likes. 
• [23:47] How to set free or let go of rude and disrespectful clients.
• [26:52] Why it is hard to start an insurance agency and keep its value.
• [28:23] Why women in the insurance industry should reach out for support from other women in the same industry.

Visit the Power Women In Insurance Instagram Page! HERE

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/

Brooke's Deets:

Agency website: https://www.WhiteSlateIns.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brooke.sarratt

Agency Facebook Page: White Slate Insurance On Facebook

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-sarratt-7113b356/

YouTube: WhiteSlateIns

Email: BSarratt@WhiteSlateIns.com

Episode Highlights:

• Debby shares her insurance journey and how she got to where she is today. (1:26)
• Debby mentions how important it was for her to be around someone that knew what they were doing when she was training and how she sought that ought. (5:31)
• Debby explains that the better you are at asking what you want to know, the more you will be able to learn. (9:10)
• Teresa asks Debby what qualities she is looking for in a person or mentor to ask questions to. (14:36)
• Debby explains that she helps her clients see their coverage by asking them what it covers. (17:08)
• Debby shares that she prefers in person classes and finds online classes challenging. (22:20)
• Debby explains why it is important to take ownership of your own knowledge and education. (24:59)
• Debby shares that people need to take responsibility for learning things that they don't know. (27:04)
• Debby advises everyone to make a plan and find the right fit for their career and what they really want. (29:00)
• Debby encourages everyone to listen to the past podcasts that Teresa has done that connect people in the industry. (31:45)

Key Quotes:

• “For me to become good, I've got to be around someone that knows what they're doing. And I've got to surround myself with that knowledge." - Debby Kallinikos
• "I think if it's something you're passionate about, and you really feel like you can help this industry and be of service, then you should go for it." - Debby Kallinikos
• "I think that the people that work for companies typically as reps, those people seem to have the most education because they're on a salary, they're not getting paid commission." - Debby Kallinikos

Resources Mentioned:

• Debby Kallinikos LinkedIn
• USI Insurance Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Elisa shares her background story and how she got into the insurance industry. (1:33)
• Teresa explains that to move forward, people have to make big changes in the industry. (9:05)
• Elisa explains that Insure Equality was created because people wanted to have a better way forward. (10:29)
• Elisa shares that another theme that consistently comes up would be based on relationships. (14:16)
• Teresa explains that the younger generation is very conscious when it comes to equality, as they want to work in a diverse community. (20:22)
• Elisa talks about their vision moving forward, which is all about accountability, community, and transparency and the pledges that agencies are signing to move toward that vision. (23:44)
• Elisa explains that they have pledged signers in over 18 states and Canada in just a span of six months. (35:27)
• Teresa discusses how the first people lined up for change are those that are putting their egos aside. (40:45)
• Elisa talks about moving forward and taking action instead of sitting and lamenting the past. (43:38)

Key Quotes:

• "It isn't just about women, it's about black people, brown people, queer people, we're all coming to this industry and getting a bit of a like crisis of consciousness or crisis of self awareness." - Elisa Stampf
• "We are not the first group of people that have tried to make a change in this industry. And we certainly won't and shouldn't be the last. But for many people, this is their first foray into this conversation. And that alone is super impactful." - Elisa Stampf
• "Everybody makes mistakes, and we have to get comfortable as a culture with saying that we've made a mistake and then taking action with it." - Elisa Stampf

Resources Mentioned:

• Elisa Stampf LinkedIn
• Insure Equality
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Danielle shares why she started Little Dog Social Media. (1:23)
• Danielle explains that she saw the potential to help insurance agents and companies through social media. (3:26)
• Danielle shares that they are not just putting out content on social media, but also looking and understanding how it benefits the agency. (06:16)
• Danielle discusses that they create content for each platform that can be the same content, but written or geared differently on each platform. (8:46)
• Danielle shares how they are able to utilize the features and benefits of every platform, like Facebook and LinkedIn. (10:52)
• Danielle explains that they also provide resources to keep the clients active on different social media platforms. (13:38)
• Danielle shares that her favorites and top priorities to recommend are Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, and LinkedIn. (15:16)
• Danielle talks about other services they offer, such as marketing, print, and creating digital graphics. (16:34)
• Danielle explains that they provide monthly reports to their clients so they can be aware of the engagement and growth of the audience. (19:42)
• Danielle talks about the different pricing and packages available on their website. (23:16)

Key Quotes:

• "The items that we like to help agents with is not just, you know, putting out content on social media, but putting out content and looking and understanding how that content is benefiting the agency." - Danielle Willets
• "We give them the resources to keep active on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and then we have to talk about Google My Business, and having your Google My Business listing claimed is so important. It's worth its weight in gold. " - Danielle Willets
• "We eat, breathe, and sleep insurance and social media 24/7. That's what we are, that's what we're thinking about all the time watching the trends, looking to see how we can run campaigns, how we can make the agents successful." - Danielle Willets

Resources Mentioned:

• Danielle Willets LinkedIn
• Little Dog Social Media
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• 
  

Episode Highlights:

• Lorin discusses her journey to get to where she is today. (1:50)
• Lorin shares the best day she's ever had in her 38-year career. (6:45)
• Lorin explains that she gets most of her clients from referrals because she no longer cold calls. (18:40)
• Lorin discusses her strategy with everyone she meets for the first time. (19:16)
• Lorin discusses the transition from Liberty Mutual to a brokerage-type position. (23:58)
• Lorin discusses the learning curve of submissions on the brokerage side. (25:54)
• Lorin mentions that Corporate Insurance Advisors was sold to Brown & Brown in 2021 bringing her back to corporate America. (30:52)
• Lorin discusses the importance of differentiating yourself from everyone else. (40:18)
• Lorin gives advice to someone entering the commercial industry at this time. (48:43)

Key Quotes:

• “You've got to differentiate yourself from everybody else in the pack. And the only way to do that is to do something different.” - Lorin Montgomery
• “Always learn, always be a resource, always try to be that person that's going to be valuable to somebody else” - Lorin Montgomery
• “Brown & Brown acquired Corporate Insurance Advisors, and so we were absorbed into the Brown & Brown family. And what's really neat about that is I'm now back in large corporate America.” - Lorin Montgomery

Resources Mentioned:

• Reach out to Lorin Montgomery (954-732-9453)
• Brown and Brown Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Carey shares her story and how she got into the insurance industry. (1:55)
• Carey explains that there's no formal training when you become an agency owner, which makes it intimidating. (6:41)
• Carey shares that agency owners have to know a lot about other businesses to underwrite and cover the risk. (8:55)
• Carey elaborates on the things she does to help agencies get through the process emotionally and mentally. (12:30)
• Carey explains that EBITA is a measure of any business's true profitability. (17:00)
• Carey shares that she has been doing valuations for years now, and about 95% of the agencies wanted to transition internally and plan for it. (24:05)
• Carey explains that putting a perpetuation plan in place is very important in preparing to run an agency. (28:31)
• Carey talks about the process and preparation that she provides to future agency owners. (31:28)
• Carey admits that some of the most difficult situations for an organization she has worked with have occurred when the agency lacked a system. (34:55)

Key Quotes:

•  "Unlike a lot of people, insurance found me. I didn't find insurance it was it was truly a gift to be quite honest." - Carey Wallace
•  "I am here to help independent agents make their agency the best that it can be. I'm not here to say this is the only way to do it." - Carey Wallace
•  "I get to learn about each agency that has different niches, different focuses. Some have a financial arm, some have a real estate arm, some are just straight up independent insurance agents. They're all different. And it's super exciting for me to get to know some pretty diverse businesses.” - Carey Wallace

Resources Mentioned:

• Carey Wallace LinkedIn
• AgencyFocus, LLC
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Debra shares how she fell in love with LinkedIn and how she became the "LinkedIn" Queen. (2:09)
• Debra explains that authenticity intrigues people, and the three questions she always asks about are about pets, family, and sports. (9:05)
• Debra shares that there are a lot of good changes that have happened in LinkedIn for people to build themselves. (12:35)
• Debra elaborates on the algorithm of LinkedIn and how to increase your connections. (17:10)
• Debra explains how important it is to have a photo on your LinkedIn accounts, and what third connections are. (21:54)
• Debra talks about the things to post on your LinkedIn accounts that could help you grow your connections. (26:48)
• Debra shares that if you do not have interaction on your post, it's going nowhere. (29:48)
• Debra explains that the reason why people like and comment on content is that they like and trust that certain person. (35:45)
• Debra talks about the most important part of your LinkedIn account which is the Analytics Dashboard. (39:02)

Key Quotes:

• "What you're trying to create is that interesting thing about yourself. " - Debra Mathias
• "I want to give tips on this because it is my passion to see that everyone succeeds on LinkedIn as I have." - Debra Mathias
• "If you do not change the banner behind your photograph, you're not going to get found on LinkedIn." - Debra Mathias

Resources Mentioned:

• Debra Mathias LinkedIn
• Connect to Clients
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Amber shares her background story and how she was able to be where she is today in business. (2:52)
• Amber shares that she had to fight for, trust, respect, and what she wanted when she first started in the insurance industry. (8:17)
• Amber explains that one of her advantages in the insurance industry is that she educates her clients. (10:46)
• Amber mentions that one of her biggest struggles in building her agency was starting from scratch. (14:02)
• Amber explains that people, especially clients, have adapted to the new setup of business that is remote. (17:30)
• Amber shares that they set up their company to be as upfront and transparent to their clients as possible. (23:11)
• Amber shares that their mission is to provide as much information as they can before losses happen. (26:55)
• Amber shares that the biggest things that helped her during the most difficult challenges were resilience and adaptability. (28:04)

Key Quotes:

• "We're big on education, we educate our clients, I don't want to work with somebody who is just looking for the cheapest policy." - Amber Inclan
• "When your clients feel like number one, you're providing them value, but two, you're simplifying the process and you are guiding them through it, they don't have as much to do. They are extremely grateful." -Amber Inclan
• "How do we learn from those quote, unquote, “failures”, and I don't even believe in the word failure. I believe they are lessons learned." - Amber Inclan

Resources Mentioned:

• Amber Inclan
• Inclan Insurance Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

across the country to build their book and be more impactful with their clients. She is also an influencer,

speaker, and author who is passionate about motivating others to walk in the fullness of their lives.

In this throwback episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens speaks with LeTesha as she shares

about her insurance journey that started with an internship when she failed to get into law school. She

describes her journey as a mother, wife, and career woman who wanted to climb the corporate ladder.

Listen in to learn the importance of exercising love and unity in the society while embracing our

differences respectfully. You will also how to build relationships in the insurance industry without biases.

“You have to listen to people’s life experiences to understand how to help them live a better life.”

LeTesha [38:03]

Top Takeaways:

 How the insurance industry has changed over the years to become more inclusive.

 The importance of unity and love in society despite our differences.

 How to look at situations in a positive light with love instead of forming negative stereotypical

notions.

What you will learn:

 [3:06] LeTesha describes her journey in insurance which started as an internship and 20 years

later she’s still with Safeco insurance having served in different roles.

 [11:51] She talks about her journey as a working woman, wife, and mother and how she has

seen the insurance industry change in the last several years.

 [16:38] The importance of carriers in insurance companies and the collaborative and innovation

factors they bring on board.

 [19:13] LeTesha talks about her childhood as a mixed child and why she wrote her book ‘Half

Breed’ as a way to unite people.

 [25:45] How to build relationships and mentorships in your career versus staying in society’s biases.

 [31:58] Learning to respect each other even as we disagree to create the ability to communicate

harmoniously.

 [37:46] The importance of understanding people’s experiences in the insurance industry in order to help them.

Relevant Links:

Website: https://www.leteshawheeler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leteshawheeler/

Book: Half Breed: Finding Unity in A Divided World

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx

Episode Highlights:

• Crystal discusses her background in the beauty industry prior to entering the insurance industry. (2:36)
• Crystal discusses how she became interested in the insurance industry. (6:07)
• Crystal mentions that she began with claims, which she considered was an excellent way to learn about insurance. (12:50)
• Crystal explains how she came up with the concept of naming her insurance company after a beauty queen. (20:09)
• Crystal discusses how she manages branding and the business environment, which may be challenging at times. (22:05)
• Crystal describes how she works in the insurance industry as a woman. (22:22)
• Crystal mentions that one of the reasons she attempted to get into a beauty school was to explain the differences between general liability and professional liability, as well as why you need them and what they mean. (29:00)
• Crystal discusses how many routes she explored before declaring that she had enough knowledge and/or before deciding whether or not it was a good avenue for her. (32:11)
• Crystal expresses gratitude to everyone in the insurance business for their help. (35:35)
• Crystal explains her desire to ensure that clients get quotes in a timely way. (40:09)

Key Quotes:

•  “I know the universe will put me where I need to be when I need to be there with the right opportunity.” - Crystal Fox
• “I still work after hours and I still love looking on Instagram and social media and looking at businesses and how I can help them. So when you're passionate about it, you know, it just doesn't feel like work.” - Crystal Fox
• “I always research the prospects before I go in, I make sure I understand them and I follow them on social.” - Crystal Fox

Resources Mentioned:

• Crystal Fox LinkedIn
• The Smith Sawyer Smith Agency
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Rebecca talks about her past and how she got to where she is in her work now. (2:01)
• Rebecca notes that she has dealt with a wide range of coverage kinds and finds it to be an interesting aspect of her job. (9:39)
• Rebecca explains that over the years, insurance companies have been able to adapt to what the consumers' needs are. (15:21)
• Rebecca discusses her story and how she overcame the odds in the insurance and law fields, which have traditionally been controlled by men. (18:23)
• Rebecca explains that she tells her story to inspire people, especially women, to pursue the path that they want in their careers. (23:03)
• Rebecca shares that there is no work-life and no life outside of work, but only your life that you have to live out. (28:00)
• Rebecca discusses how empowerment for her is the byproduct of this idea of showing up authentically and showing up with courage. (34:50)
• Rebecca explains that thresholds are at the beginning and end, depending on how you courageously see it. (43:47)
• Rebecca shares that part of courageous living is showing presence in our professional lives, particularly in this world of insurance. (48:30)
• Rebecca says that, despite the industry's natural progress, she believes there is still a long way to go. (53:14)
• Rebecca shares that a way to authentically show up is to ask yourself if you have done five things that made you happy. (55:54)

Key Quotes:

• "10 years ago, well, most of the interfacing I would do and the networks on my insurance side were men. Now 10 years down the road 90% of the work that I do is for women." - Rebecca Adelman
• "There's nothing like your work life and your life outside of work. There's just your life. It's just your life. There's no work-life, this life is just your life, go and live your life." - Rebecca Adelman
• "Dismantling the idea that there's any, that there's even a possibility to find a balance, like, it's not really about balance, it's how you deal with being inbalance." - Rebecca Adelman

Resources Mentioned:

• Rebecca Adelman LinkedIn
• Adelman Law Firm
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa explains why, despite the fact that the insurance sector is theoretically 61-63% female, less than 15% of women are in the C suites, management, and leadership position. (2:16)
• Teresa mentions that being brave requires stepping beyond one's comfort zone. (3:20)
• Teresa explains that she is a huge storyteller; she enjoys telling others about what has happened to her or what has happened to a client and what she has learned. (6:07)
• Teresa believes that we must recognize that taking a break on certain days is a necessary element of progressing and becoming better. (9:11)
• Teresa mentions that journaling enables her to further evaluate her ideas. (10:39)
• Teresa admits that she is the queen of setting goals that are much too lofty for her. (16:59)
• Teresa explains that our lives, companies, and jobs are all living, breathing things with their own rhythms. (17:52)
• Teresa discusses how we cannot aim for perfection since perfection is subjective. (19:07)
• Teresa discusses her favorite quote from Alice in Wonderland and why she loves it so much. (21:39)

Key Quotes:

• “No matter what we do inside the insurance industry, we need to show up every single day and bring our very, very best. That is about everything that we can do.” - Teresa Kitchens 
• “I don't know everything in the world, my team members do not know everything in the world, but they are brilliant in their own way.” - Teresa Kitchens 
• “When we voice our thoughts, when we voice our concerns, when we voice our journey, when we voice our ideas…They can be things that inspire other people.” - Teresa Kitchens 

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Carrie shares her background story and what led to her decision to rebrand her agency. (1:49)
• Carrie shares that her mother also worked in their agency back when she was in high school. (6:05)
• Carrie explains that you have to know the things that you are not good at and find people that are good at those things. (10:40)
• Carrie discusses that their idea when they rebranded was to keep everything consistent regardless of the platform on which they were communicating. (13:48)
• Carrie shares that it was she and her team that was responsible for the success of the changes in their agency. (17:44)
• Carrie explains that her father, as the former owner of the agency, never had any pushback. (21:41)
• Carrie discusses how newsletters helped them avoid challenges with the rebranding with their existing clients. (24:43)

Key Quotes:

• "Of all the things you have in your marketing arsenal, your brand is probably number one. Because it's who you are, what you believe in. And sometimes it's what the public perceives you to be." - Carrie Reynolds
• "There are certain things that you have to be, that you have to live by, in order to kind of carry on this brand." - Carrie Reynolds
• “I’m all about hire for attitude, train for aptitude. That’s my motto.” - Carrie Reynolds

Resources Mentioned:

• Carrie Reynolds LinkedIn
• Alan Galvez Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

In this throwback episode of the Power Women in Insurance Podcast, Teresa sits with Dawn as she shares her insurance journey that started 23 years ago. She explains in detail her loss of drive and passion for her career recently and how she’s working to get over that slump.

Listen in to learn how being surrounded by a positive tribe of people will help you regain your energy if you have been losing the motivation to continue running your business. You will also learn how to be a good leader who helps the team to fully participate in projects and move forward. 

“Find a tribe or create a tribe, it doesn’t have to be insurance professionals, it just needs to be a tribe of people that are as excited about growth as you are.” [23:57]

Top Takeaways:

• How to be a collaborative leader who cares about the team’s approach towards a project.
• How to feel empowered by giving back to the community.
• The importance of being around positive people helps you be more energetic. 

What you will learn:

• [1:27] She shares her insurance journey that started 23 years ago without experience in the industry.
• [4:00] She explains how she has shifted over the course of being a business owner and how she’s now working to refine her initial drive. 
• [8:03] How she is drafting to get the energy to continue in her path.
• [13:42] How she leads her team by being open and collaborative towards their project ideas.
• [17:22] Dawn describes ways in which she and her team have given back to the community during the COVID-19 period and how that has served as empowerment for her.
• [19:17] How outside helping and engaging with the community rejuvenates her team.
• [22:07] Why do you need to find positive people that will motivate you to be more energetic.

Relevant Links:

Website: https://www.mnagent.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnjanesbartley/

Email: dawn@mnagent.com

Connect With Teresa!

Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com

Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens

Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/

Episode Highlights:

• Sarah shares the idea, the inspiration, and the importance behind the creation of her book titled "Undiscovered Voices". (2:00)
• Sarah mentions that it took her four years to figure herself out and where she wanted to be on her career path. (6:45)
• Sarah shares her story of how she pitched her book for women in insurance. (8:40)
• Sarah explains how interesting it is to do research about confidence level and where we fall on that spectrum. (12:44)
• Sarah discusses that if women receive the right training and right support system in the industry, women are more likely to go for it compared to men. (17:35)
• Sarah shares that soft skills are the most important thing that we need in our industry, and women are natural with it. (24:06)
• Sarah elaborates on things that all people can do to empower other women to be able to break the glass ceiling and be what they want to be. (31:23)
• Sarah mentions that creating an open communication environment would encourage women to speak up. (33:22)
• Sarah shares that her favorite part of her book is the last chapter that her daughter helped her to write. (37:14)

Key Quotes:

• "I think a lot of times things like happen and land in a certain way in a certain order. The universe knows more than we do." - Sarah Muniz
• "Men start seeing that all the mistakes that they made between 20 and 40, and then they doubt themselves because they're reflecting on the mistakes that they made when they were overly confident, but not competent." - Sarah Muniz
• "I think soft skills are the number one most important thing that we need in our industry, who are better at empathizing and having those soft skills than women. I don't think anyone could argue with that." - Sarah Muniz

Resources Mentioned:

• Sarah Muniz LinkedIn
• Insurance Nerds
• Book: Undiscovered Voices
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Casey discusses her background, how she got into insurance, and where she is now. (1:33)
• Casey shares her experience of influencing the vision of her entire team and promoting a different mentality. (8:27)
• Casey discusses the first prototype they created for SALT. (11:01)
• Casey explains that we are all unique and that they are still trying to figure out the independent channel. (15:56)
• Casey mentions that the best clients they have right now are the community agents. (17:31)
• Casey shares tips and strategies for influencing an agent's mindset for the better. (19:59)
• Casey mentions that they recently received an endorsement from the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. (24:22)
• Casey discusses the four commercial lines niches that they have. (27:07)
• Casey tells us how we can contact her and what we can expect from her company. (28:11)
• Casey mentions that her dream job is to be a Disc Jockey. (31:59)

Key Quotes:

• "Our best client right now is a community agent type that has got 5-10 people, that's just looking for a better way to reach the next generation of buyer, to create efficiencies in their shop, to scale." - Casey Hege
• "I think that's really the most critical part is setting the expectation, once you close the deal, how you're going to work with them. That's where you need to really step in and become the expert." - Casey Hege
• "When we try to be generalists, everything to everyone, we wear people out, you know? It's hard to build system and process around being a generalist." - Casey Hege

Resources Mentioned:

• Casey Hege LinkedIn
• SALTinsure
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Meg shares how she was introduced to the insurance industry and what led her to become a coach for women in insurance. (2:15)
• Meg explains that women have a specific space, role, and voice in the insurance industry. (5:46)
• Meg shares her insights on what she is seeing in the industry right now. (10:31)
• Meg discusses the types of environment she is seeing that people are looking for which is different than they did before. (14:23)
• Meg shares that you have to know how you are wired and you have to know yourself. (23:26)
• Meg explains her lifestyle, and shares more about the digital nomad lifestyle. (28:10)
• Meg elaborates on the changes and the impact of being a digital nomad on her coaching. (32:46)
• Meg shares that risk is everywhere, and your tolerance is only what is keeping you from trying something new. (35:41)
• Meg reminds everybody that we don't have to do it alone, and we shouldn't do it alone. (42:38)

Key Quotes:

• "We need to come up in the industry so people can retire. So people who have done their time who have contributed meaningfully to the industry can go on and retire, if that's what they choose, or give back to their communities in a different way." - Meg McKeen
• "I think the flexible work environment gives us that freedom and that flexibility to be all those things to all those people and put work where work belongs." - Meg McKeen
• "If not now, when? And that's a question that I asked myself all the time. What am I waiting for? Who is it I'm asking for permission from? Are they ever going to give it?"- Meg McKeen

Resources Mentioned:

• Meg McKeen LinkedIn
• Adjunct Advisors
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa discusses the juggling act of being a woman and mother in business. (1:15)
• Teresa shares that to be productive, you have to know your time management. (3:20)
• Teresa shares the first tool to be used for productivity, which is Calendly. (4:25)
• Teresa explains the benefits of time Blocking in time management and productivity. (10:17)
• Teresa shares the importance of separating out emails to be more productive and organized. (14:16)
• Teresa explains that being present and intentional with your business, team, and clients is very important. (18:07)
• Teresa shares that maximizing the use of your calendar is also important to be productive. (21:07)
• Teresa explains that if you are not working out and do not do self-care, you will feel less energized. (22:57)

Key Quotes:

• "As women, we want to be everywhere at all times taking care of everybody at all times." - Teresa Kitchens
• "If you want to be more present, plan for it, make an intentional move for it." - Teresa Kitchens
• "Even if you're working for a big company, we cannot manage a team if we don't know where we're supposed to be and what we're doing." - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• The Stack Method

Episode Highlights:

• Ciara shares her background story and how she got to where she is today. (1:15)
• Ciara explains how her business has been affected by COVID. (3:54)
• Ciara shares what they learned from their experiences during COVID. (9:01)
• Ciara explains the sales process training and what it helps you with. (15:46)
• Ciara shares that she is not afraid to tell the truth when she does not know the answer to something. (25:50)
• Ciara shares her advice for people that are starting and wanting to nail their process. (33:34)
• Ciara talks about the importance of doing business with the people that you want to. (39:01)
• Ciara shares a couple of things to consider before deciding to let go of a client. (41:43)
• Ciara explains that everything is a learning curve, and we are learning every day. (44:49)

Key Quotes:

• "If this is your job, and this is what you're going to do, and you're going to grow a business, you might as well do it with the people you like, right?" - Ciara Gravier 
• "I don't know everything, but I am associated with people that do. So if I don't know the answer, I have someone on my side that does. So I will get you the answer." - Ciara Gravier 
• "When I was younger, my dad told me - If you’re going to make insurance your career get designations, because, I mean, you're young, and you're a woman in a man’s industry" - Ciara Gravier 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ciara Gravier LinkedIn
• The Bunker Insurance & Risk Management
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Nicole tells us about GloveBox and why she decided to work there. (3:44) 
• Nicole shares some challenges agents have in being able to embrace this technology. (6:28)
• Nicole tells us how GloveBox has been able to bond with the carrier side of the industry. (9:06)
• Nicole shares how GloveBox allows agencies to diversify their service offering, even for clients who may not be as comfortable with technology. (11:14)
• Nicole tells us what they do in the app that encourages the relationship with the agency. (15:22)
• Nicole shares some of the new developments GloveBox is working on. (19:23)
• Nicole explains GloveBox’s focus in the industry and the carriers they are working with. (22:24)

Key Quotes:

• "We provide agencies with a technology that's their own, that they can provide to their clients." - Nicole Mirich
• "We try to make the platform very communicative with other systems and very easy to customize." - Nicole Mirich
• "We are now at the point where we're ready to start adding integrations with mutual carriers, captive carriers, etc." - Nicole Mirich

Resources Mentioned:

• Nicole Mirich LinkedIn
• GloveBox
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Emily shares her beginnings and how she got into the insurance industry. (1:31)
• Emily tells us about what has contributed to her becoming a great leader. (6:39)
• Emily shares the changes that she has made for the agency that she took over. (9:47) 
• Emily shares the concept of the trash button and trust bucket, and how it works in her agency. (13:02)
• Emily opens up about the things that she has done and accomplished over the past few years. (16:19)
• Emily explains how she makes sure that she shows up for her team as a visionary and as an owner. (20:45)
• Emily shares talks about the ebb and flow with business growth. (24:42)
• Emily shares her strategy to keep everybody aligned and in the loop. (31:14)
• Emily gives us a couple of traits of being a great leader. (35:36)

Key Quotes:

• "I think one thing about being a good leader is recognizing when you're wrong, and recognizing when you've made a mistake and being able to go to your team and say, you know, we're gonna pivot because this actually didn't work." - Emily Gerber Poe
• "Doing acquisitions takes a lot of time. And it's not a switch that you can flip. But I think the more streamlined the processes are, the easier it is for everybody to recognize and understand what the rules are. - Emily Gerber Poe
• "I think as a leader of a company, there is never really I don't think there's ever been a season that's ever been the same for me and I'm okay with that, and I love that." - Emily Gerber Poe

Resources Mentioned:

• Emily Gerber Poe LinkedIn
• Gerber Insurance & Financial Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Linda shares her journey to becoming an insurance agent. (1:33)
• Linda thinks back to the moment when she was able to secure her first high-end client for her company. (5:29)
• Linda tells us what she gets out of attending conferences. (11:51)
• Linda explains that to make the company successful, we have to take care of our employees. (15:03)
• Linda shares what she gives to newly hired agents, and how this helps them improve as a team. (20:37)
• Linda recalls a moment in time that gave her the passion to be the leader she is today. (26:52)
• Linda shares that listening to her employees is her best problem-solving strategy. (35:49) 
• Linda advises us to connect with people that are in the position of where we want to be. (38:47)
• Linda says that this industry is so giving and that all we need to do is to surround ourselves with the right people. (40:03)

Key Quotes:

• "If you look at a lot of agency owners and why we became owners, it's because we love to sell." - Linda Marie Fisher
• "This business is a relationship business. It's not just this relationship with our team. It's our team's relationships with our clients, to our team's relationships with the carriers, it's our team's relationships." - Linda Marie Fisher
• "You get to a time when you have to make a decision. Either I'm going to stop growing, and I can handle it all myself. Or I've got to hire people to help me with this. Yeah, well, if you're going to hire people to help you with this, you better figure out how to be a leader." - Linda Marie Fisher

Resources Mentioned:

• Linda Marie Fisher LinkedIn
• Cardinal Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Stacie shares her background and experience. (1:42)
• Stacie discusses her current role and responsibilities as a digital content director. (8:26)
• Stacie states that agents should not be afraid to embrace technological innovation. (11:41)
• Stacie says that listening to podcasts sparks listeners’ creativity and gives the listeners new ideas they can apply to their company or work. (17:22)
• Stacie shares tips on how you can improve your marketing through podcasts and social media. (21:22)
• Stacie states that there are a lot of media options that agents can use to connect to their prospects and clients. (26:06)
• Stacie shares what she does when she sees a potential post she can use for her marketing. (31:56)
• Stacie believes that one of the most important things agents should have is LinkedIn. (33:35)
• Stacie shares the most important line that agents should start with. (36:15)

Key Quotes:

• “I wanted to show people who have had a lot of adversity, and who have got various challenges, and who overcome them and succeed and do cool things and big things in their lives, even though they've had some challenges.” - Stacie King
• “I encourage agents if nothing else, you don't have to be the expert at all things right? You can rely on other resources, you can rely on other people to fill in the gaps in the areas that maybe you're not as strong in.” - Stacie King
• “If I can teach people anything, here's the one I want you to remember: What can I do for you today? I have a lot of contacts in the XYZ industry, or I have a lot of resources at my disposal, how can I help you? That's the line that everyone needs to start with.” - Stacie King

Resources Mentioned:

• Stacie King LinkedIn
• Agentero
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group
• 
  

Episode Highlights:

• Aurora shares how she got into the insurance industry. (1:08)
• How does Aurora feel about the underwriting process? (6:24)
• Aurora explains how she narrowed down her niche. (10:46)
• Aurora tells us how she’s able to communicate with her target market. (11:11)
• Aurora shares some stories about the Haggerty niche. (12:09)
• How does Aurora make sure that her agency is well situated? (16:58)
• Aurora shares how she teaches new members about the culture inside their agency. (21:40)
• Aurora gives a piece of advice to those who are in the insurance industry. (30:14)

Key Quotes:

• “The smallest niches are really the easiest to dominate because people look at it, and they're so revenue-based that they don't look at the bigger picture of it. They just go...I'm only going to make $50 off that. That's not worth my time. Instead of saying, well, that $50 can lead into this commercial account, and this high net worth account and everything else that it goes through.” - Aurora Mullet
• “It's really great to have Google reviews out there, and it does your ranking...But, I want to be very strategic about the way I do my reviews, so that they realize there's a lot of problems I can solve, instead of just...I’m a homeowners agent.” - Aurora Mullet
• “We’re an all-woman agency. So, I think that our mindset of taking care of others and being there to problem solve is a natural thing with women anyway, but it becomes very adaptable.” - Aurora Mullet

Resources Mentioned:

• Aurora Mullet LinkedIn
• Intrinsic Insurance Services
• Contact Teresa Kitchens

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa encourages the audience to create a list of everything they were able to accomplish in the year 2021. (02:42 )
• Teresa talks about the importance of taking a moment to look back and give yourself credit for all that you have achieved. (03:23 )
• Teresa mentions that she’s started working with a business coach who urged her to construct a bucket list of 100 things she wants to do. (03:32)
• Teresa says that she likes the idea of being able to look at 2021 and recognize 100 things that have been done wonderfully. (04:10)
• Teresa shares that her family had a wonderful outing to celebrate her and her husband's birthday. (05:22)
• Teresa mentions that her team has been developing the Power Women in Insurance podcast for two years. (08:10)
• Teresa reflects on the many powerful women that have graced the podcast. (08:36)
• Teresa encourages listeners to go into January with a new focus and determination to make a difference in our world (9:00)

Key Quotes:

• “The reality is sometimes we don't look back and give ourselves credit for the awesomeness that we have achieved." - Teresa Kitchens 
• “In order to appreciate, grow, and move forward to make 2022 the year that we truly want it to be, we have to love and honor, the struggle, the joys, the triumphs, the areas where maybe we didn't quite reach those goals. That area where maybe we didn't quite reach that success point that we wanted. We need to look at those and we need to say I'm blessed and I'm grateful. And, you know what, we're gonna make 22 awesome.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “Go into January with a new set of eyes, a new heart, a new focus, and a new determination to be able to get out there and make a difference in our world.” - Teresa Kitchens 

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Faye shares her journey in the insurance industry. (1:19)
• Faye shares what I Sell Medicare Plans is all about. (4:22)
• Faye mentions her I Sell Medicare podcast. (5:13)
• Faye explains Club Wiin. (6:02)
• Does Faye find that women have different challenges in the insurance space than men in the Medicare arena? (7:07)
• Faye shares why women tend to be able to identify the level of stress or the level of the situation better than men. (10:53)
• Faye mentions one of the things they do at Club Wiin. (15:13)
• Faye shares the largest hurdles that people have to overcome to be more effective in their sales process. (19:08)
• Faye mentions the significance of having a mindset. (27:34)

Key Quotes:

• “What I am able to train and teach others to do, I've actually done, and I actually do. So, I continue to sell but I do not compete with those agents that I'm coaching. I don't compete at all with anyone who wants me to help them to grow their business by selling Medicare plans.” - Faye Saxon Horton
• “I do honestly believe the reason that I'm able to have Medicare customers, Medicare beneficiaries who stay with me and have such a high retention rate, is because I make it simple. Keep it simple, and then it's easier to understand.” - Faye Saxon Horton
• “It's all of those things that we do just naturally, that help us to connect with our team, with our agents, with other professionals, and with our customers. It's all of those things that we do just naturally just by being females, that helps us to better connect.” - Faye Saxon Horton

Resources Mentioned:

• Faye Saxon Horton LinkedIn
• I Sell Medicare Plans
• Club Wiin
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Cassidy opens the conversation by introducing herself and sharing more about her background. (1:33)
• Cassidy shares the reason why she decided to start up an independent agency. (6:00)
• Cassidy shares why she is successful in both being able to provide for her family while also empowering other people. (11:21)
• Cassidy shares that she has created a formula for their company that can help clients achieve what they want. (16:57)
• Cassidy talks about the women that she has helped and hired to work for her company. (21:46)
• Cassidy believes that the game is changing for women that are getting into the insurance industry. (28:09)
• Cassidy shares her insight about common challenges that she finds women have in the insurance industry. (31:24)
• Cassidy tells the listeners why she loves insurance. (37:42)
• Cassidy started the program to help women in the insurance industry because she believes that women are best at this. (41:56)

Key Quotes:

• “In the captive world, you have this carrot that's put in front of you, and everybody is working really hard to get the awards and get on the top of all the reports and all the things that you know the company wants from you.” - Cassidy Arbeli
• “You can build whatever you want in your life, you just have to identify the things that you want, which is the hard part. And then once you identify what that is, and you're intentional about the things you do, you can create the strategy.” - Cassidy Arbeli
• “I think if we don't know what we want, then how will we know if we're ever going to be happy?” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Cassidy Arbeli LinkedIn
• Unburden Your Business
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Vonda talks about her experiences as a female agency owner. (2:21)
• Aurora discusses her experiences as a female insurance executive. (5:46)
• Aurora explains that she has experienced more bias from women than she has ever experienced from males in the industry. (7:52)
• Vonda believes that her agency needs more female salespeople to balance things out. (17:35)
• Teresa, Aurora, and Vonda talk about what they can do to encourage women to work in sales rather than just ownership or CSR. (18:46)
• Aurora believes that it's okay for a woman to be aggressive when the situation calls for it. (20:38)
• Vonda discusses the distinctions between being a female agency owner and a male agency owner. (27:41)
• Aurora and Vonda talk about how they manage their home responsibilities while working in the insurance industry. (35:01)
• Vonda discusses the benefits and drawbacks of social media. (41:14)
• Aurora believes that we should never build empowerment for one another by excluding others. (44:53)

Key Quotes:

• “Social media has helped the women in this industry because you can connect with other women and you don't feel like you're in such a male-dominated industry because you have that connection.” - Vonda Copeland 
• “There's no excuses, if you're ready to roll in that direction,there's always a way to jump into it and get some things in place.” - Vonda Copeland 
• “If we as women can get rid of the narratives we've been taught and realize that they are there to support and help and we can help and support them. I think a lot of this men versus women will eventually fade” - Aurora Mullet

Resources Mentioned:

• Aurora Mullett LinkedIn
• Vonda Copeland LinkedIn
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Monica starts by saying how things have changed since the last interview. (2:37)
• Monica shares her perception about being worried about making mistakes as an adult. (8:18)
• Monica talks about how productivity and innovation are very important. (17:02)
• Monica speaks about how amazing women can use guilt against themselves. (23:45)
• Monica shares her opinion on one of the topics in the book about appreciation. (30:09)
• Monica states that having a moment of privacy calms her. (36:04)
• Monica shares her understanding of a phrase from the book. (38:21)
• Monica and Teresa talk about cultivating meaningful work and letting go of self-doubt. (43:08)
• Monica tells Teresa what she listens to when driving. (54:07)
• Monica shares a memorable movie that is related to the topic of cultivating joy. (1:00:00)

Key Quotes:

• “How am I going to be perceived if I am not perfect, you know? That's what holds us back from creativity.” - Monica Adwani
• “You're living your life and life is made of moments. So, are you living in the present? Or are you living just for living and just, you know, creating a legacy that you're not going to get to enjoy.” - Monica Adwani
• “I think respecting the diversity of thoughts. If we practice more of that, I think we can definitely make a little bit of headway into being less judgy and expecting others to have the same thought process” - Monica Adwani 

Resources Mentioned:

• The Gifts of Imperfection
• Monica Adwani LinkedIn
• Risman Insurance Agency
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Monica talks about their new virtual professional company called Savvital. (3:42)
• Monica discusses the book's first paragraph. (7:41)
• Monica explains why we must remember that everyone has unique challenges. (17:17)
• Monica discusses what she learned from the book on how we can support each other and approach each other in ways that promote an authentic experience. (19:52)
• Teresa and Monica discuss that responding appropriately, listening, and acknowledging when somebody comes to you is important. (22:18)
• Monica explains how it is empowering to know that she can educate her children to hope because it is a conscious choice. (29:47)
• Monica talks about letting go of perfectionism (40:02)
• Teresa and Monica tackle the third guidepost from the book, which is cultivating a resilient spirit and letting go of numbing and powerlessness. (51:22)
• What does Monica do to cultivate joy? (1:00:22)
• Monica mentions how great it is to understand that happiness is momentary, but joy can be constant. (1:06:08)
• Monica believes that no matter what stage or scenario we are in, we constantly say, "just look on the bright side of things," and that joy is just practicing more of that. (1:10:43)

Key Quotes: 

• “We all play different roles at different times of the day with different people. And when we are stepping into those roles, we need to learn how to quickly adapt to how we're going to react, and how we are going to provide them with the conscious choice of how this relationship is going to go." - Monica Adwani
• “I cultivate gratitude and joy when I cook for other people. When I just do anything that is selfless...I feel like I cultivate gratitude and joy, and I feel good. And I feel joyful when I am able to do those things that don't have any impact on me, but they have an impact on others.” - Monica Adwani
• “There are moments that you can feel happiness, but the joy in your heart is something that only you can achieve by having that space within yourself and knowing that you are loved, regardless, and that this is yours, right? This is your thing and no one can mess with it.” - Monica Adwani

Resources Mentioned:

• Monica Adwani LinkedIn
• Savvital
• Brene Brown's book: The Gifts of Imperfection
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Kristen shares her journey into the insurance industry. (1:22)
• Kristen shares her positive experience of moving to the independent side, despite it happening during COVID. (6:19)
• Kristen talks about her strategy to keep everything straight in a conversation. (8:48)
• Kristen talks about how people want to connect at work before and during COVID. (20:58)
• Kristen explains how she handles a conversation with a client. (25:05)
• Kristen shares her transition from working for a big company to running her own business. (29:39)
• Kristen gives out advice to agency owners on being able to find their own space. (34:20)

Key Quotes:

• “A lot of times people are uneasy making a decision, and I just want them to know, we're here for them no matter what.”- Kristen Walkup
• “Customer service to me, and that relationship with the customer? It’s the driving force of what makes me do what I do. I like to help people, I like to work with them, get to know them, and build that.” - Kristen Walkup
• “I try to also give them information that would help them understand from a novice point of view, from a person who doesn't work in the insurance industry, so that they can know what the best steps are. And then also to make them feel comfortable calling me with questions.” - Kristen Walkup

Resources Mentioned:

• Kristen Walkup 
• Willow Wood Insurance Agency 
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Mernice shares her humble beginnings and how she got to where she is today. (2:06)
• Mernice shares her opinion on the difference between men and women in the industry. (15:54)
• Mernice talks about her book What I Wish I Knew on The Other Side of Agency Ownership. (18:49)
• Mernice shares her insights about being able to get to a point of equality in ourselves. (24:11)
• Mernice shares what women can do to build up confidence. (27:24)
• Merince shares her Facebook community page called Insurance Women Rock where people can connect. (32:19)
• Mernice talks about the leadership organization she has created, the National Association for Advancement of Women In Insurance. (37:38)

Key Quotes:

• “I believe that you can always change, you can grow and evolve, and you can come back stronger and bigger and better, no matter how low you get.” - Mernice Oliver
• “I believe the linchpin of change that happens for women is when we identify our purpose.” - Mernice Oliver
• “I'm going to create a company that really fills that gap for women. Because I'm not just going to help you with a business, you're more than your numbers.” - Mernice Oliver

Resources Mentioned:

• Mernice Oliver LinkedIn
• Mernice Oliver International
• National Association for Advancement of Women In Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa mentions that she made an episode last year about her goals for 2021. (2:06)
• Teresa discusses her main goal for the past year. (3:40)
• Teresa believes that she has met about 50% of her 2021 goals. (6:13)
• Teresa mentions that just because something didn't work doesn’t mean we failed. (8:13) 
• Teresa shares what she has learned this year with her team. (8:55)
• Teresa discusses another huge success for her and her team. (11:04)
• Teresa mentions that she encourages everyone to say "what do we want to learn for the year moving forward?" rather than "what are our goals?" (12:28)
• Teresa explains why she’s not going to micromanage her team. (16:22)
• Teresa mentions team building with different locations as one of her goals. (21:05)
• Teresa expresses her gratitude for the fact that, while they did not meet all of their goals this year, they did meet the majority of them. (23:36)
• Teresa believes she is blessed by the community, her team, and her book of business. (31:54) 
• Teresa explains the concept of monday.com and how it helps her. (33:03)
• Teresa expresses heartfelt love and appreciation for the insurance industry. (37:26)

Key Quotes:

• “I want to be really honest because I think as women, we need to feel like we have each other's backs. And I think we can't do that unless we are authentic.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “I'm honored that even though we didn't achieve our goals this year, we achieved most of them.” - Teresa Kitchens
• “If we can approach things with love, and a calm approach of loving every moment and saying, ‘Where can I improve?’ and being open to that growth, maybe even with that person, if that person is willing to stay in community with you, then we are successful.” - Teresa Kitchens

Resources Mentioned:

• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• How did Aimey get her start in the insurance industry? (2:51)
• Aimey mentions that when she opened her main office, she was in a unique situation. (11:16)
• Aimey discusses her carrier selection process. (13:00)
• Has Aimey encountered any difficulties in going it solo as opposed to working with a larger buying network? (13:59)
• Aimey explains how they got started in their original niche. (18:29)
• Aimey shares how other agencies, including her own, are combining old and new school insurance practices in order to truly reach out and build their business. (23:05)
• Aimey discusses the importance of marketing a product or a business. (32:57)

Key Quotes:

• “I think having a open lines of communication with your marketing rep and with the underwriters and really learning the guidelines and quoting them as much as you can to figure out what fits is really how you start off successful with any carrier that you take on.” - Aimey Bryan
• “I think there's ways that you have to figure out how to make that connection, whether it's through social media, whether it's sending a thank you card, still, I feel like a handwritten thank you card goes a long way.” - Aimey Bryan
• “If you can say I'm going to do one thing to market my agency a day, just one thing, whether that's like a post or whether it's calling, you know, five new prospects or something like that, if you can do one thing a day to push the needle forward at the end of the year, you're going to be that much further ahead.” - Aimey Bryan

Resources Mentioned:

• Aimey Bryan LinkedIn
• Bryan Insurance Agency
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Teresa explains what imposter syndrome is. (3:21)
• Beth mentions one of her first breakthroughs. (9:11)
• Ashley shares the experience of having professional peers see her in a different light. (9:42)
• Kai gives her thoughts on the word “imposter”. (10:29)
• Beth gives insight on how imposter syndrome has affected her. (17:34)
• Ashley explains why sometimes they don't give themselves enough credit. (19:56)
• Kai shares why social media plays a huge role in their industry. (22:33)
• What are some things that help Lisa tackle the feeling of imposter syndrome? (27:33)
• Lisa explains how body language helps her with confidence. (32:25)

Key Quotes:

• “I feel like the kid that’s sitting on the bus seat by ourselves, with no friends until I met you lovely ladies, until I got into IAOA. I think it has just been awesome because I feel like I found my tribe. I found you guys. I feel totally accepted and validated in what I do, and I'm just grateful to you all, for that.” - Kai Smith
• “Instinctively, I need to trust that I have instincts of things that are genuine. And if they don't work out, it's not for lack of trying or effort, it’s just they didn't work out one way or another.” - Lisa Hengel
• “If we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, and to listen to what others are saying about us, and people are still sticking around, they still want to talk to us afterward, they still think we're doing a good job... That's when it's like, okay, this is past just the surfacey stuff. Maybe I am actually worthy of their time, worthy of their attention.” - Lisa Hengel

Resources Mentioned:

• Ashley Mastowski LinkedIn
• First Choice Insurance Group
• Beth DeLaForest LinkedIn
• Aspire Insurance Group Inc
• Kai Smith LinkedIn
• Station 5 Insurance
• Lisa Hengel LinkedIn
• Willow Wood Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Dustyne shares how she got into the insurance industry. (1:34)
• Dustyne mentions her role at National Alliance. (5:36)
• Dustyne explains why she invited Cat to be her co-host in the Awkward Insurance podcast. (7:50)
• Cat shares how she got into the insurance industry. (9:27)
• Cat mentions one of the reasons why she’s thrilled to work at the National Alliance. (13:19)
• Cat explains why it’s important to understand why insurance matters. (18:23)
• Dustyne shares how someone can learn to love the insurance industry. (20:01)
• Dustyne mentions what they strive to do at The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. (21:23)
• Cat shares the significance of a growth mindset. (28:45)
• Dustyne shares what drives their career and education at The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. (32:26)

Key Quotes:

• “Having those connections with all of my clients and their personal stories, and talking about grandkids and kids, and going back to school, and not having to focus on business numbers, and all of that, was just where my heart was. So, personal lines have always been my focus. That's what I do here at the National Alliance.” - Dustyne Bryant
• “At this point in my life, I didn't care so much about my career, per se. I just wanted to make myself better. I felt like I wanted to defy the stereotype of what a teen mom was going to be. So, it was really important for me to just always keep pushing forward to kind of create this life that I could be proud of. - Cathariya Ferris
• “I think it's really important, especially as women, that we continually encourage that growth mindset in each other. Because otherwise, it's too easy for society whether it be our peers, our community, our parents telling us, well, this is what you're going to do in your life. This is what needs to happen and the way that I try to live my life is I try to live my life in a way that my kids can be proud of.” - Cathariya Ferris

Resources Mentioned:

• Dustyne Bryant LinkedIn
• Cathariya Ferris LinkedIn
• The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research

Episode Highlights:

• Jennifer shares how her passion for cold calling began. (2:24)
• Jennifer mentions what she loves about cold calling and helping people confront their call. (3:30)
• Does Jennifer think that women are better at cold calling than men? (4:50)
• Jennifer shares how she works directly with people to help them overcome their fears in cold calling. (7:10)
• Jennifer mentions her appreciation for commercial insurance. (9:51)
• What’s the process when someone wants to start with cold calling? (12:14)
• Jennifer lists some of the programs they offer at Prospecting Works. (22:28)
• Jennifer shares a success story about someone she has helped. (28:35)
• Jennifer mentions why she thinks that women could have a tremendous opportunity in cold calling. (35:30)
• Does Jennifer think that texting has changed the culture of cold calling? (37:14)

Key Quotes:

• “Call reluctance isn't really a fear of the phone or rejection, it's really fear of self-promotion. And so, it’s what is holding people back from picking up the phone is also holding them back in a lot of other areas in their lives.” - Jennifer Standish
• “If people can understand that they're calling to help a business, protect itself, and protect its employees, you almost have this moral responsibility to call as many people as possible.” - Jennifer Standish
• “If you're going to cold call or you're going to have employees that are going to cold call, then you need to accept every cold call that comes to you. Because, a lot of this is karma and you can learn a lot about what you're doing, by taking calls.” - Jennifer Standish

Resources Mentioned:

• Jennifer Standish LinkedIn
• Prospecting Works
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Lisa shares her background story. (1:25)
• Lisa discusses what's going on in the flood insurance industry that we need to know about. (2:43)
• What will the flood insurance policy be like in the future and how will premiums be affected? (3:55)
• Are there any alternative options Lisa can think of for people to avoid these flood challenges? (6:52)
• Is there a difference between private flood and FEMA-oriented flood programs in terms of what lenders will accept? (14:13)
• Lisa discusses what they've done to get the information out about the flood insurance updates. (18:20)
• What advice can Lisa provide to members of her community team? (20:04)
• Does Lisa have any idea what the process is to get somebody grandfathered in? (21:48)

Key Quotes:

• “I can tell you, as long as we have the ability to be able to put the homeowners and the flood together under one carrier, the new stuff will be okay, because a lot of these carriers will do the home insurance with a flood insurance endorsement on them.” - Lisa Hast
• “So we're just trying to get the message out to the realtors, to the consumers, you know, to our county commissioners, to our governor, or to our state representatives that we need some help.” - Lisa Hast
• “Property in Florida overall is hard. Now, flood is going to be hard....People are not going to be able to afford to purchase a home.” - Lisa Hast

Resources Mentioned:

• Lisa Hast
• Iron Rock Insurance
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group

Listen in to learn how Kristin Isaacson and Jeremy Olsen saw a need in the insurance industry and created a program that works towards bettering relationships in agencies. You will also learn the need for women to show up as leaders and match up to men.

“You have to stay very resilient mentally, you can’t let negativity get you down in this space.”- Kristin Isaacson [19:56]

Top Takeaways:

• How to create a successful program that helps teams build strong relationships with their customers.
• The strategy of helping team members to take action and coming up with solutions that helps their customers.
• The power of resiliency- not allowing negativity to get to you in the insurance business.
• How to show up as a woman in business by practicing to be better.

What you will learn:

• [2:14] She explains how he joined the insurance industry as a team coach.
• [4:06] How she has helped the team come up with a peer and manager coaching structure.
• [5:35] She explains how she and Jeremy Olsen developed and executed the Role Play program at the Olsen Agency. 
• [13:03] Why women need a support system and to believe in themselves more than men in similar positions.
• [16:31] How she either acts with tough love or empowerment when coaching women as called by the situation. 
• [23:53] How to practice positive thinking and gratitude for self-development to be a good team member.

Relevant Links:

• Website: https://www.insuranceroleplay.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RPOA.LIVE/
• Facebook Private Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1371258396384138
• Email: kristin@insuranceroleplay.com 
• Book mentioned: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Connect With Teresa!

• Sterling Insurance Group's Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com
• Teresa's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.comerkitchens
• Sterling Insurance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinginsurancegroup/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/

Episode Highlights:

• Rachel mentions her interest in the technology industry. (4:43)
• Rachel shares how she randomly got into the industry. (5:39)
• Rachel mentions what she loves about being in the commercial insurance space. (6:54)
• Rachel explains how the CRM they built works. (10:03)
• What were some of the goals they’ve achieved for their agency? (13:01)
• Rachel shares what her missions for Siege Technology Solutions, Inc are. (16:13)
• How does Rachel help agents to manage their time and resources? (21:37)
• Rachel mentions her vision for agency owners. (33:04)

Key Quotes:

• “I started out personal, and ended up commercial. I love the commercial aspects of things, just because there's always something different, something unique. It was always a challenge, always something different to learn.” - Rachel Robison
• “Finding qualified leads is difficult. But, then also, once you get those leads, having a good way to be able to continuously connect with them, and to follow up with them and to nurture those leads.” - Rachel Robison
• “The ones that adopt early, they're gonna have such a competitive advantage in the market, and then the ones that come in are eventually gonna get pulled along by the time. So, I think within the next five years, you'll see the majority of agencies are going to be on some sort of CRM based system.” - Rachel Robison

Resources Mentioned:

• Rachel Robison, MBA LinkedIn
• Email- Rachel Robison
• Siege Technology Solutions, Inc.
• Contact Teresa Kitchens
• Sterling Insurance Group